Turn to Gold
by Snakequeen-in-Norway
Summary: Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy hated each other. Of course they did. But what happens when Albus finds Scorpius sobbing in the bathroom? Cutting, depression, attempted suicide, abuse, some violence, language. Slash. But don't be deterred.
1. We've Done the Same Thing All Before

**Author's Note: This wasn't originally going to be a songfic, but I was listening to my ipod and a song came on that was just so perfect for it. So I named the fic after the song and each chapter title is a song lyric (not in order though). The song is "Turn to Gold" by the Senate, I'm not surprised if you haven't heard of them, but they're really good. **

**I'm going through and editing typos in my stories right now, and getting rid of way outdated author's notes while I'm at it. And fixing the formatting which got all screwed up for some reason. Just for the record, this is going to be slash, as in with gay characters. If that bothers you, for Merlin's sake don't read it! And don't sent me reviews about how you hate gay people. I don't like trash in my inbox. Thanks.**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: I don't, not have I ever, nor will I ever, own Harry Potter. I believe that should be pretty obvious.**

**Chapter One: We've Done the Same Thing All Before**

Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy hated each other. Of course they did. Both boys were in their third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, both were the Seekers of their House Quidditch teams, Gryffindor and Slytherin respectively, and both were intelligent and did well in their classes; Albus was especially good at Defense Against the Dark Arts and Scorpius excelled at Charms. In addition, the boys' families did not get along in the least. They had been on opposite sides in the Second Wizarding War and Albus's and Scorpius's fathers had been enemies all throughout their school days. They boys were just carrying on the tradition. There was one way, besides their opposing houses and contrasting looks (Albus had short, messy, black hair and green eyes while Scorpius's eyes were gray and his blond hair was sleek and long), there was one way in which these two boys were very different. Albus was effortlessly popular. Due to his father's fame (his father was Harry Potter, Savior of the Wizarding World) and his general good nature, nearly everyone at school (except for many of the Slytherins of course, and the few people were jealous enough to hold it against him, and some upper years who didn't really notice him) liked him. Scorpius, on the other hand, was a bit of a loner. His family, which had been one of the most prominent in the wizarding world, had fallen out of favor after the war. He had a small handful of friends and tended to keep to himself. He had maintained the Malfoy attitude of being above everyone else, which most of the other students either resented or found laughable. Scorpius wasn't particularly friendly with most of the students, but he didn't go out of his way to be mean to them either. For Albus, though, he made an exception.

*****TTG*****

It wasn't unusual for Albus Potter to go wandering around the school at night. It wasn't allowed, of course, but that had never stopped Albus, or most of the rest of his family either. Although his older brother James had inherited their father's Invisibility Cloak (since their father could now go invisible without help from the cloak), he had given Albus the Marauder's Map: a map which had been created by Albus's grandfather and his friends and which showed the entire Hogwarts castle, including all of the secret passages, as well as all of its inhabitants, represented by moving labeled dots. This map, combined with Albus's naturally small size, allowed him to sneak around the castle with ease. Often Albus took his cousin Rose Weasley, who was the same age as him, and/or his friends Asher Thomas, Morgan Tuland, and Jerry Mortman with him on his nighttime explorations, but this time he only wanted to retrieve his copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_, which he had left in the library. It was on the way back to Gryffindor Tower that Albus heard crying coming from the boys' bathroom. Curious and slightly concerned, Albus quietly opened the bathroom door and stuck his head in. A boy about his own age was kneeling on the tiled floor, sobbing his heart out. His long, pale hair was covering his face and his shoulders were heaving up and down. Albus could tell that the boy wasn't crying over something trivial like a bad grade on an essay or being turned down for asking a girl on a date. He sounded as though his heart was broken.

Albus opened the door all the way and slipped into the bathroom. Crossing to the other boy, Albus knelt down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," said Albus softly. "Are you okay?"

The boy's head shot up and Albus gaped at him.

"_Malfoy?"_

"_Potter?"_

"What are you doing here?" said Albus, dumbstruck by the fact that the sobbing boy on the bathroom floor was his nemesis.

"None of your business, Potter," spat Scorpius, jerking away from Albus. "Go away."

Albus stared at Scorpius. His eyes were were bloodshot and there were tear stains on his cheeks. Albus opened his mouth to say something, though he wasn't quite sure what, but Scorpius cut him off before he even started.

"If you say _anything_ about this to _anyone_, I swear, Potter..."

Scorpius's words were threatening, but his tone was almost pleading, and Albus saw a shadow of fear in his eyes. Any harsh comment died on Albus's lips. Scorpius had pushed himself up off the floor, briefly exposing his pale forearms. It had only been a moment, but Albus had clearly seen a row of parallel scars and scabs running crosswise up the other boys wrists and forearms. Scorpius saw the direction of Albus's gaze and yanked his robes back over his arms, hiding the cuts from view.

"I'm warning you, Potter," he said, a definite note of pleading in his voice.

Wordlessly, Albus nodded, and Scorpius swept out of the door, leaving Albus standing there, wondering what was going on with Scorpius Malfoy.

*****TTG*****

Over the next two weeks, Albus kept wondering. He watched Scorpius surreptitiously as much as he could, but nothing seemed different about the Slytherin. He was as aloof and collected as ever, and he gave no acknowledgement that the incident in the bathroom had ever occurred. But Albus couldn't forget the look on Scorpius's face that night, couldn't forget the fear and pleading he had heard in his voice, couldn't forget the cuts he had seen on Scorpius's arms. He hated Scorpius and Scorpius hated him, but something was definitely wrong with the other boy, and Albus couldn't decide whether or not he should get involved. Maybe he should just tell a teacher, but he had promised to Scorpius that he wouldn't tell anyone and, despite his hatred of Scorpius, Albus was a man (well, boy) of his word.

Asher, Morgan and Jerry noticed that Albus was a bit preoccupied, but Albus passed it off as exam nerves, as their first term exams were fast approaching. It was partially true, Albus did have to study for his exams, so he did his best to push Scorpius to the back on his mind. He had almost managed to convince himself that he must have imagined the desperation in Scorpius's eyes when he took another solo trip through the halls late at night, this time to find an empty classroom in which to practice a really cool Defense spell that Rose had found in a book earlier that afternoon.

His path took him once again past the boys' bathroom where Scorpius had been two weeks before. On a sudden impulse, Albus paused before the room and pressed his ear to the door. Sure enough, he heard stifled, gulping sobs coming from the other side of the wall.

Albus bit his lip. Should he go in? It wasn't really any of his business, and it was _Malfoy_ for Merlin's sake, but...

Albus opened the door and let himself into the bathroom. Scorpius was siting on the tiled floor again, sobbing into his crossed arms. Albus stood in the doorway, watching the Slytherin cry.

"Malfoy, what's going on?" said Albus bluntly, though not meanly. "This is the second time I've found you balling your eyes out in this bathroom. Obviously there's something wrong."

"Butt _out_, Potter," said Scorpius without looking up. "Leave me alone."

"Malfoy, I don't like you," said Albus. "I've never liked you and that isn't going to change just 'cause I've seen you blubbering. But I'm not going to kick you when you're down either."

Albus took a step toward Scorpius and saw that Scorpius was holding something in his hand. Peering over his shoulder, Albus realized that it was a razor, and it was edged with blood.

"Malfoy," said Albus, taking another step closer. "What are you doing?"

Scorpius quickly tucked the razor out of sight and covered his left wrist with his robes.

"Nothing," he said defensively.

Albus squatted down next to Scorpius. "Malfoy," he said bluntly, "do you need help?"

"No," said Scorpius aggressively.

"Okay," said Albus, standing up and brushing his hands off on his thighs. He walked to the bathroom door and was about to leave when he looked back at the blond sitting on the bathroom floor. Their eyes met and they both looked away at the same time. Then Albus walked out into the hall and shut the door behind him.

**AN: Just because the story's finished doesn't mean I don't like reviews ;)**


	2. To Come so Close and Fall so Far

**Author's Note: Reviews are very welcome, though I'm not desperate for them. :) It would be nice to get confirmation that people are still reading and enjoying this story though.**

**I know my chapters are short, sorry, that's how they are. They get way longer later on.**

**Disclaimer: Do I **_**look**_** like I own Harry Potter? (The answer would be no)**

**Chapter Two: To Come so Close and Fall so Far**

It was four days later when Albus heard the news. No one knew just how it had gotten out, but by the end of the day the whole school knew. Scorpius Malfoy had tried to kill himself. Another student, a first year by the name of Justin Cumbers, had found him in the boys' bathroom by the library, his wrists cut from palm to elbow, a bloody razor blade on the floor next to him. It was unclear how long he had been like that; long enough to pass out, but not long enough to bleed to death. Yet.

Albus was stirring his cauldron in Potions when he heard two Slytherins at the table next to him talking about it. Blanching, he dropped his stir-stick and turned to the two Slytherins. In his father's day, they wouldn't have even spoken to him, but house-relations had improved to the point where Slytherins and Gryffindors were at least mostly civil.

"Malfoy?" he said, completely forgetting about the potion bubbling sluggishly in his cauldron.

The two Slytherins nodded in confirmation.

"Who would have thought," said one of them. "He always seemed so cool and collected. Nothing fazed him."

Albus felt a horrible stab of guilt. He _had_ know that all was not as it seemed with Scorpius Malfoy. Something had obviously been wrong with the Slytherin—he had been cutting his wrists and sobbing on the bathroom floor for Merlin's sake!—but Albus hadn't wanted to be a part of it. He had walked away. He had walked away and Malfoy had almost died.

"Albus?" said Rose, tapping his shoulder. "Albus, your potion's burning!"

Turning back to his potion, Albus saw that it was turning into a congealed mass at the bottom of his cauldron and was billowing great clouds of purple smoke. Albus received a zero on his potion that day, but he didn't care. As he packed up his bag, swung it over his shoulder, and left the class, there was only one thing on his mind: Scorpius Malfoy.

*****TTG*****

At lunch, Albus brushed off his confused friends and headed up to the hospital wing. He had to know if Scorpius was alright. Because if he wasn't...it would be Albus's fault.

Arriving at the door to the hospital wing, Albus hesitated. He felt strange and awkward, going to visit his worst enemy in the hospital wing after he had attempted suicide. So, instead of opening the door, he peeked in the window. Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, was bent over a bed near the middle of the room. She moved aside to get something from her office and Albus winced. Scorpius Malfoy was lying on the bed, deathly pale, his thin chest fluttering softly, his forearms, resting on top of the coverlet, were wrapped in white bandages, stained a vivid crimson. Obviously, Malfoy had charmed the razor and/or his body so that the cuts would be resistant to healing. Albus felt sick. Malfoy really wanted to die.

Madam Pomfrey bustled back into sight and Albus quickly stepped back from the window. Wiping a hand over his brow, Albus went back to class, but the image of Malfoy lying in the hospital bed was burned into his mind.

*****TTG*****

Every day for the rest of the week Albus found himself standing outside the hospital wing, watching Scorpius sleep. It was horrible, but something kept drawing him back. On the fifth day, after Albus had watched Madam Pomfrey change the bandages on Malfoy's still-bleeding wrists, Albus didn't step back from the window quickly enough.

"Potter," said Madam Pomfrey sharply, making her way across the room and opening the door. The nurse was no longer young, but she was was still quite energetic and very strict. "Potter," she said again, sternly, "did you need something?"

"Uh—er—no—I—" stuttered Albus. Madam Pomfrey raised her eyebrows. "I just wanted to see how..." Albus trailed off, but Madam Pomfrey followed his gaze to the bed where Malfoy lay, now hidden by golden curtains. Her gaze softened ever so slightly.

"Is he a friend of yours?" she asked

"Er—not exactly," said Albus, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head sadly. "Usually when I have a student in here their friends are all over the place; disrespecting visiting hours, causing a ruckus. But this time...the first day there were a lot of students of course, all wanting to see the boy who attempted suicide." Her voice was bitter. "But after that, no one."

"You mean—none of his friends..." said Albus, startled.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head again, "No one. I'm starting to think that he doesn't have any friends."

But that wasn't right, though Albus. Malfoy didn't have _many_ friends, but he had a _few_. Albus had seem them. So why had none of them come to see him?

"How is he?" said Albus hesitantly.

Madam Pomfrey signed. "He's stable, for the most part," she said. "But he must have cast some kind of a spell to stop his wounds from being closed, because they're resisting my magic. I'm giving him blood replenishing potions, and a lot of other things too, but I don't know what spell he used. I fear it may have been one of his own invention. Maybe if we still had Severus..." she sighed again. "If he wanted to live I could help much more easily, but as long as he doesn't want to live..." she ran a hand through her graying hair. "If he had had friends then maybe this wouldn't have happened...he wouldn't have been depressed, or someone would have seen the signs in time."

Albus's stomach twisted painfully. _My fault_ he though, _my fault_. He had seen how depressed Malfoy was...hell, his animosity with the Slytherin had probably added to it.

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Albus.

He expected her to wave him off, but instead the healer looked thoughtful.

"Well, she said slowly, "I normally don't allow visitors for critical conditions, but maybe if you sat with him it would help. I've tried, but I can't get through to him. Maye someone his own age can convince him that life is worth living.

Albus swallowed. "I—I don't know—"

Madam Pomfrey looked at Malfoy and then back to Albus. "Of course, I understand," she said. "But there's only so much I can do if he won't fight for himself. Whatever spell he's done..."

Albus cringed. "Alright," he said. "I—I'll try."

"You're a good boy, Potter," said the nurse, leading him to Malfoy's bed. "I'll be in my office," she said. And then Albus was alone with Malfoy.

Albus looked down at Malfoy's prone figure. He was almost as pale as the bed linens and looked as frail as a leaf. Albus lowered himself gingerly onto the edge of the bed.

"Er—hi, Malfoy," he said awkwardly. "It's—er—Potter. I'm sorry you're—you know—that you thought you had to do this—" Albus bit his lip. "I—er—didn't want you to die, you know...not really...I mean—I know we don't get along too well...okay, we hate each others' guts, but...I never wanted you _dead_. I don't think anyone else did either. Why—why did _you_ want to be dead?" Albus whispered, staring into the pale face. "What were you crying about, those nights in the bathroom? What made you so upset that you didn't want to live?" Albus's voice cracked.

"I—er—have to go to class now, but—I'll see you later, okay? Er—bye Mal...bye Scorpius."


	3. Let It Pass, I'm Tired of Talking

**Disclaimer: Q: Does Snakequeen-in-Norway own Harry Potter. A: No! Jo does.**

**Chapter Three: Let it Pass, I'm Tired of Talking**

Albus came back to see Scorpius Malfoy almost every day. If his friends knew where he was going, they didn't bother him about it, and he was grateful for that. He didn't know how he'd be able to explain it without telling them what he'd seen, and he wasn't ready to tell them that. It was hard, seeing Malfoy lying there like a corpse, and it didn't get any easier, but Albus kept going back.

*****TTG*****

"Hi, Mal—Scorpius," he said, sinking down at the side of the bed. "Er—how are you? Okay, stupid question. Er—Professor Binns assigned us another essay, it's on the 14th century Goblin Wars. We're learning Cheering Charms now too. I bet you'd be really good at them." He paused. "Scorpius—I—I'm sorry for, well, for everything, I guess. I'm sorry you felt this miserable, and that you have no real friends. If I had known that you didn't have any friends then maybe I wouldn't have—no, I probably still would have hated you, and I would have made fun of you for it. But I would have been wrong. We were both wrong. We hated each other for stupid reasons. But Scorpius—most of all I'm sorry that I didn't do more for you when I knew you were in trouble. I know I promised not to tell anyone, but I should have broken my word on that one. I was just using my promise as an excuse to not get involved and I should have—I should have done _something_. I shouldn't have just left you there. I'm sorry." Albus hesitantly took the blond's hand in his own. "Scorpius, no one should hate their life so much that they want to end it. Please," he said, squeezing Scorpius's limp hand. "I don't want you to die because of me."

*****TTG*****

"Scorpius. Scorpius! Goddamnit, Scorpius, wake up!" If you can hear me then fucking wake up! Don't be this stupid, don't throw your life away like this. Your dad and mum've been here every day. You know how hard it is for me to get in to see you at a time when they're not here? You know what your dad'd do if he saw me here? He'd try to pin this on me. And you know what? He'd be right!" Albus sobbed. "He'd be right! If you don't show signs of getting better by tomorrow they're sending you to St. Mungo's. Your father's thinking about suing the school! You know they can keep you like this, don't you? They can keep you alive almost indefinitely. Is that what you want? To exist as a—a vegetable for the rest of your pathetic life? Wouldn't it be better to try living again? Really living? Scorpius, you're barely fourteen, fourteen for God damn Merlin's sake! That's _too young to die!_"

*****TTG*****

Albus couldn't handle th guilt anymore. That night he told his older brother James that he needed to talk to him. When the common room had emptied for the night, at nearly midnight, they sat down together in front of the fireplace.

"What's up, little bro?" James asked in a slightly concerned voice. James was a year and a half older than Albus, and he could be a real jerk sometimes, but he was really a good big brother when he needed to be.

"It's my fault," blurted Albus without preamble. "At least, I could have prevented it."

"What?" said James, confused. "What's your fault?"

And then it all came out: Scorpius, the bathroom, the crying, the cuts, the razor, the blood. By the end of the story, Albus was sobbing into James's shoulder as James patted him gently on the back.

"I didn't _know_, James," he sobbed.

"None of us knew, Al."

"But I should have _seen_. Why didn't I tell anyone?"

"It's too late now for whys and what ifs,"said James. "I heard Headmistress McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey talking. They're sending Malfoy to St. Mungo's tomorrow morning. If you want to try and make things right one last time you should go now. I never liked Malfoy, he was always a git, but, I dunno, if it means that much to you...and I don't want him to _die_."

Albus nodded and hugged his brother one last time.

"Wait," said James, "wait right here."

He sprinted up to his dormitory and came down a minute later clutching something sleek and silvery.

"You might want this," said James. He held out the Invisibility Cloak.

"Thanks, James," Albus sniffed, and, throwing it over his shoulders and pulling out the Marauder's Map, he left the common room at a run.

Once Albus got to the hospital wing, however, he found that he didn't have anything more to say to Scorpius. Taking off the Invisibility Cloak and sitting down in his usual place beside the blond, Albus realized that he'd already said it all. He took Scorpius's hands in his own, tracing the blue veins with his thumbs.

"Goodbye, Scorpius," he whispered. "I'm probably never gonna see you again, huh? I mean—even if you to recover, your mum and dad'll never let you com back to Hogwarts." Albus sniffed, surprised to find that he didn't want Scorpius to leave. "I know you'll be better off at St. Mungo's," he said. "Hopefully they'll be able to make you better there. I'm sorry I wasn't able to."

Albus sat there for a while, his tears falling onto Scorpius's cheeks.

After several minutes, Albus felt something stir beneath his fingers, then a faint, hoarse voice said, "Potter...you're—getting—me—wet."

Albus's head snapped up and he looked wildly around the empty room before looking back down at Scorpius. The blond's gray eyes were open, and his cracked lips were moving in a strained laugh, which quickly became a cough.

Without thinking, Albus reached down and supported the other boy's head.

"_Scorpius? _You—you're awake! Oh dear Merlin, you're alive!"

"So—it—would—seem," said Scorpius, once he had gotten his breath back.

Albus suddenly realized how strange it must seem to Scorpius, to wake up after attempting suicide to find his worst enemy sitting on the edge of his hospital bed.

"I—er—Scorpius—"

"I—know."

"What?"

"I—heard."

"Everything?"

"Enough," said Scorpius. "When—other—people—spoke—could—just—drift—not—hear. Wait—to—die. But—you. Are—so—damn—stubborn. Why?"

"I—if I had—if I hadn't walked away from you—"

"That's—it?"

"Yes—no...I...I didn't want you to die Scorpius," said Albus. "Whatever—whatever bad blood there is between us—whatever happened to you, to make you do this..." He gestured to Scorpius's bandaged wrists. "No one deserves that."

Scorpius looked away.

"I mean it," said Albus. "I was kind of hoping—I could—well—I know I can't make it up to you—but at least start—"

"How?"

Albus shrugged. "Well...I don't hate you anymore, for one."

Scorpius smiled faintly.

"I should get Madam Pomfrey," said Albus, standing up. "Promise you won't—" he glanced at Scorpius's wrists again. Was it his imagination or was the blood finally starting to clot?

"Promise," said Scorpius hoarsely.

Albus went over to Madam Pomfrey's door and knocked.

"Madam Pomfrey?" he called. "Madam Pomfrey?"

After a couple seconds the door opened and Madam Pomfrey stuck her head out.

"Potter, what are you doing here?"

Albus pointed at the bed behind him. "Scorpius. He's awake."

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

Albus nodded. "Come and see."

**AN: Hope you're enjoying. Remember I love reviews no matter when you're reading this :) I reply to all my (signed) reviews too.**


	4. Must it Always End This Way?

**Disclaimer: I am Snakequeen-in-Norway. Therefore I am not J. K. Rowling. Therefore I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Chapter Four: Must it Always End This Way?**

After that it was a whirlwind of events: Scorpius's parents came, the Headmistress came, a Healer from St. Mungo's came. Albus hovered by the hospital wing door as much as possible, but he still had class, and no one had time for him. Occasionally he would catch Scorpius's eye through the glass, but it wasn't until nearly a week after Scorpius's revival that Albus finally got in to see him.

"Hey," he said softly, sitting down on the side of Scorpius's bed like before.

Scorpius opened his eyes and sat up. He had lost his waster appearance, though Albus wouldn't say he looked exactly healthy: his hair was sleek and smooth again and his cheeks were tinted faintly with pink, but he was still very thin and his gray eyes, though alert, appeared somehow dull. Scorpius's wrists were still bandaged, but Albus couldn't see any blood.

"Hey," said Scorpius

"How are you?" said Albus.

"Better than I expected."

"Oh?"

"I expected to be dead," said Scorpius bluntly.

Albus ran a hand through his messy black hair.

"But _why_, Scorpius? Why did you want to—to die? Was life really that bad?"

Scorpius shrugged.

"That's not an answer," said Albus.

"Alright, then yes," said Scorpius harshly. "Yes, my life is really that bad, are you happy? Are you happy I'm spilling all my deep, dark secrets to you like some pathetic loser? Ever since I was little my dad's wanted me to be perfect, and for everything to be perfect for me. He told me a whole bunch of lies about how the world was, so that when I came here I wasn't ready for it. Everyone didn't love me, they laughed at me or turned their backs to me or whispered behind their hands. The few "friends" I gathered were okay to hang out with I guess, but we never really _liked_ each other, we just toleratedeach other," he spit the word out like it was something rotten. "And on top of this, I have to keep top grades, I have to maintain the family image, the family honor." He laughed hollowly. "My family has no honor anymore!" Scorpius coughed and Albus handed him a glass of water.

"So I taught myself not to feel, to let all my anger out on you, the popular boy, the "Golden Boy"; I taught myself not to show or admit to my weaker emotions. But it was too much, so I started cutting. I'd go to the bathroom at night, the one near the library so no one would hear me, and I'd cry and I'd cut. And it felt good, you know? It felt _real_, because everything else I was doing was so fucking _fake._ I was losing sleep, but I didn't show it. I didn't show any of it. It got so bad I knew I had to stop it, but I didn't know how. This was the only way I knew how."

Albus's eyes were wet. He had never thought of himself as a bad person, but look what he and others like him had driven Scorpius to do.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, putting an arm around Scorpius's shoulders.

Scorpius stiffened, but then he relaxed and leaned his blond head against Albus's dark one. Albus's family had always said he had an instinctive knowledge of just how to comfort people and make them comfortable around him.

"Thank you," Scorpius whispered, just as quietly, "for giving me another chance."

"Scorpius," said Albus, rubbing the blond's back until his breathing calmed to normal. D'you wanna start over?"

"What?" said Scorpius.

"Us, I mean," said Albus. "D'you think we could be—friends?"

_I can't believe I just said that_, thought Albus. _Friends? With Malfoy?_

"I'd like that," said Scorpius softy after a moments hesitation.

"Are you sure you don't still hate me?" said Albus. "For, well, being me, and for not helping you."

"Not helping me?" said Scorpius "Are you kidding? You saved my life."

"I was almost too late," said Albus.

"But you weren't," said Scorpius.

The two boys were silent for a minute.

"Al," said Scorpius, using Albus's friends' and family's nickname for him, "I'm gonna be going to therapy, for depression. Every day. I'm—I'm scared. I've never talked to anyone about it before—any of this. You're the first person I've told."

Albus was touched, and also little scared himself. His heart ached for the boy sitting next to him on the bed.

"I'll still be here, Scorp," said Albus, shortening Scorpius's name in turn. "The therapist'll help you, it's what they're there for. Scorp, what's your dad gonna think of us being friends?"

Scorpius chewed the end of his hair. "He might not like it much," he said finally, "but after this I think he'll just be glad I have a friend at all. Wait—did you just call me _Scorp_?"

"You called me Al," Albus pointed out.

"Yeah, but lots of people call you all. No one's every called me Scorp before."

"You don't like it?" asked Albus

"I didn't say that," said Scorpius. "It's just—weird. I've never had a nickname before.

"Well, now you do," said Albus, giving Scorpius's shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"What about your dad, Al?" said Scorpius. "The famous Harry Potter. What'll he think of us being friends."

Albus made a face. "Please, he's just my dad," said Albus. "I think he'll be surprised, but he'll understand. He usually does. Uncle Ron'll be harder, but James'll probably be able to bring them around."

"James? Your brother James? He thinks I'm rubbish."

"Maybe," said Albus, "but he's my big brother. I told him what I did. The night you woke up. He's the one who convinced me to come up here and try one last time."

"I'm glad he did," said Scorpius, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Me too," said Albus.

Scorpius shuddered.

"Scorp? Are you okay?" Albus asked, rubbing his new friend's back again.

"No," said Scorpius, shifting away from Albus's hand.

Albus understood. "I won't leave you again."

"I feel so...lost," whispered Scorpius. "I'm alive but I don't know where to go..."

Albus sat up on his knees, put his hands on Scorpius's shoulders, and looked into his stormy gray eyes.

"I'll help you. I promise. I don't know how, but I will. Just don't do this again. I've just found you, I don't want to lose you."

Tears were streaming down Scorpius's cheeks. "It hurts," he whispered, and Albus knew he didn't mean his wrists.

"I know," said Albus. "But you can do it . _You can_."

"I'll try," said Scorpius. "I'll try."

**AN: Have something to say? Tell me! (I know, I sound like a commercial...sorry ;) )**


	5. Believe Me When I Tell You That

**Author's Note: This chapter is even shorter than usual, sorry, it just turned out that way.**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (shocker there) Nor do I own the song Turn to Gold for that matter. I do own my plot though, but that's about it.**

**Chapter Five: Believe Me When I Tell You That**

The next day, Albus went to the hospital wing as soon as he could to see Scorpius, but someone was already there. Scorpius's parents, Draco and Astoria Malfoy, were standing beside his bed. His mother was kneeling by her son, fussing over him, while his father talked to Madam Pomfrey. The hospital wing door was open a crack and Albus could hear Mr. Malfoy's voice drifting out into the hall.

"I don't care," Mr. Malfoy was saying. "I want him moved to St. Mungo's"

Madam Pomfrey murmured something that Albus didn't catch.

"I know what's best for my son!"

"With all due respect, Mr. Malfoy, I'm not sure if you do," said Madam Pomfrey. "Physically he's recovered. But your son has obviously suffered psychological damage."

"How dare you tell me my son is psychologically damaged?" yelled Mr, Malfoy.

"Mr. Malfoy, your son attempted suicide!"

Scorpius looked up from his mother and his injured eyes met Albus's sympathetic ones. His mother followed his gaze and then, sensing the change in the the room Madam Pomfrey and Mr. Malfoy looked around.

"Potter," spat Mr. Malfoy. "What are you doing here?"

"I—" said Albus, looking between Scorpius and his father.

"The boys are friends, Mr. Malfoy," said Madam Pomfrey. "Potter comes by almost every day."

Mr. Malfoy turned to his son. "Is this true?"

Scorpius nodded.

"But—" spluttered Mr. Malfoy. "But—you hate Potter!"

"I used to, Father, but..."

Albus took a step toward Mr. Malfoy and Scorpius's bed.

"Mr. Malfoy," he said, making his voice as strong as he could. "It's kind of a long story."

Mr. Malfoy raised his pale eyebrows. "Well..?"

Albus swallowed. "We did hate each other, Mr. Malfoy, sir. Natural enemies. How could we not be? That was the same from our first year until almost two months ago. And then I walked in on Scorpius crying in the bathroom. Not like that," he said hurriedly, seeing Mr. Malfoy's face. "He was sitting on the bathroom floor in the middle of the night, sobbing. I didn't know what to do. I hated him, but I could tell there was something wrong. I saw—I saw cuts on his wrists. Scorpius made me promise not to tell anyone. I thought—it wasn't my problem..."

"Al, you don't have to tell him this," said Scorpius. "It doesn't matter."

Albus ignored him, he knew if he stopped he wouldn't be able to start again.

"He didn't seem any different in class. I convinced myself there was nothing wrong. But two weeks later I found him in the bathroom again. He was—cutting," Albus choked. Scorpius reached up from his bed and grasped Albus's hand.

"I asked him if he needed help," Albus continued, clinging to Scorpius's hand. "He said no. I walked away." Scorpius gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"A few days later—he did this." He indicated Scorpius's wrists. "I felt so guilty. I could have prevented it...I—did—nothing..."

"Albus..."

"I still didn't like Scorpius but...I knew something must be really bad in his life, to drive him this far. I came to see him in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey said that no one else had come, none of his friends...she asked me to sit with him...to try to bring him back... So I did. I talked to him. When he finally woke up—I was so relieved. I didn't hate him anymore." He swallowed. "Mr. Malfoy—Scorpius is hurting. He told me things...talked to me... I won't blame you if you don't want me to see him again. I understand but—I want to help him. I want to try to—make up for—these last three years. I want to be his friend."

Albus looked sideways at Scorpius. He was biting his lip, tears welling up in his eyes. The boys clung to each others' hands as though their lives depended on it.

Draco Malfoy's first instinct was to scream at the black-haired boy in front of him. To tell him to get the fuck away from his goddamn son. This boy had helped to make his son's life at school hell; this boy had seen that his son was in trouble and had done nothing; this boy had—this boy had probably saved his son's life. He looked at Scorpius, there was pleading in his eyes. Pleading, from a Malfoy! Pleading and...fear. He didn't want his son to be afraid of him. He didn't want to control Scorpius's life. He didn't want to turn into his father.

Draco knelt down beside his son's bed. He had never been good at showing his love for his son, but damnit if he wasn't going to try now.

"Scorpius...are you...I mean...is this Potter really your friend?"

"Yes, father," said Scorpius.

"Would you rather go to St. Mungo's or stay here?"

"Stay here, Father," said Scorpius.

Draco patted his son's shoulder. "Alright, Scorpius. I want you to be happy. You're my son. I don't want to lose you."

"I know, Father," said Scorpius.

Albus averted his eyes as the Malfoy family had a brief private moment.

"We'll arrange for your therapist," said Draco, standing up.

"We love you," said Astoria, giving her son a quick kiss goodbye.

Draco gave Albus a hard look. "Take care of him," he said threateningly.

"I will, sir,"

Draco's look as he left the room said, _'You'd better'_.

**AN: Again, even though the story's complete, I love reviews. It's not, like, a requirement or anything. But it's nice :)**

**-SQ**


	6. Before it Just Grows Cold

**Author's Note: Sorry, this one is really short too, it just ended up that way.**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: As if you didn't already know, Jo owns Harry Potter, not me. And the Senate own the song "Turn to Gold"**

**Chapter Six: Before it Just Grows Cold**

It was Saturday and Scorpius was starting therapy that afternoon. Albus decided that while Scorpius was in therapy it would be a good time to talk to his friends and family, whom he had kind of been ignoring for the last few weeks. He, James, their little sister Lily, Rose, Rose's little brother Hugo, their cousins Fred and Roxanne, their cousins Dominique and Louis, their cousins Molly and Lucy, and Albus's friends Asher, Jerry, and Morgan gathered in an empty classroom.

"Er—" said Albus. "I'm sorry I've kind of been ignoring you guys lately. You know I've been with Scorpius Malfoy. He's okay now physically, but he's pretty...pretty fragile emotionally. I know how weird it sounds, seeing as we used to hate each other and all, but we're friends now. And I really hope that you guys'll be friends with him too, or at least be nice to him. He's really not that bad," Albus added when several of his friends and relatives gave him skeptical looks.

"I agree with Al," said Rose after a moment.

"Me too," said Lily.

"The kid obviously needs help," said Fred.

Dominique and Roxanne nodded.

"I'm with you, little bro," said James.

"I'll try it," Morgan said, casually flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Slowly the rest of the room nodded their agreement.

"Thanks guys," said Albus. He checked his watch. "Scorpius's therapy should be ending now," he said. "See you later."

*****TTG*****

Albus knocked on the door to the private room that Scorpius had been moved to.

"Scorp? It's me. Can I come in?"

"Uh huh," came the muffled reply.

Albus opened the door and slipped into the room. Scorpius was sitting on his bed, his knees drawn up to his chin, staring off into space. Albus sat down beside the injured boy and gently touched his arm.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

Scorpius shrugged.

"Scorp?"

"I didn't tell her anything," Scorpius said in a dead voice.

Albus wrapped the other boy's hair around his hand, moving it out of his face. Scorpius tensed but went limp again almost immediately, turning his face away from Albus.

"Scorp, it was only your first session."

"Uh huh," said Scorpius again.

Albus bent his head to look into Scorpius's eyes, but the blond just stared off into space as if he didn't see him.

"What are you seeing, Scorpius?" asked Albus.

"Nothing," said Scorpius dully.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Uh uh."

"Okay," said Albus.

The two boys sat on the bed, not talking, their shoulders barely touching, for almost an hour. Finally Albus reached into his bag and pulled out the latest edition of the _Weekly Charm_.

"I know you like Charms," said Albus. Scorpius didn't say anything. "I—er—thought you might like this." Albus looked at Scorpius and sighed.

"I have Quidditch practice now," said Albus. "I'll see you later, okay?"

Scopius nodded apathetically and Albus slowly left the room.

*****TTG*****

The next few days continued in the same manner. After their one heartfelt conversation, Scorpius seemed to have closed up again and no one could get through to him. Every day, Albus visited Scorpius after his therapy session. Albus would flip through a magazine or talk about his latest homework assignment or the headline in the _Daily Prophet_ and Scorpius would stare into space, nodding occasionally, but not really engaged in what Albus was saying. He never let Albus touch him, flinching away whenever Albus tried to get close to him.

The sixth day started like all the the others. Albus knocked and Scorpius listlessly told him to come in. Albus sat down on the bed a respectable distance away from Scorpius and opened his book bag, but before he could pull anything out of it, Scorpius spoke.

"I hate her," he whispered.

"What." said Albus, pausing in his search through his bag.

"I hate her!" Scorpius burst out. "I hate her! She asks questions and it's none of her business! None of her business!"

Scorpius lashed out, clouting Albus on the shoulder, but instead of backing down, Albus reached out and grabbed Scorpius's arms. Scorpius struggled and fought, landing several punches on Albus's arms.

"Scorp! Scorpius! Calm down!" said Albus frantically. "It's me! It's Al! It's alright! The therapist only asks questions because she wants to help you. Please, _I_ want to help you."

Scorpius seemed to deflate, he drew in on himself and became a human-shaped huddle on the bed.

Albus rose up on his knees and stroked Scorpius's silky hair. Scorpius's breath hitched, and then he began to sob.

"Shhh, shhh," said Albus putting his bruised arm around his friend's shoulders.

For once, Scorpius didn't flinch away. Instead he leaned against Albus, shuddering and sobbing. Albus just held him until his sobs eased and his breathing returned to normal.

"Talk to me, Scorp," said Albus eventually.

"Did I—hurt you?" said Scorpius, lifting his tear-stained face from Albus's shoulder.

"Not much," said Albus, not entirely truthfully.

Scorpius sniffed and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm going to start trying," Scorpius said after a moment. "This isn't going to get any better if I don't try to make it better. When the therapist comes tomorrow I'm gonna talk to her."

Albus smiled at his friend. "You gonna talk to me too?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Scorpius with the shadow of a smile.

**AN: It's never too late to review!**

**-SQ**


	7. Or Maybe I'll Just Steal Your Heart

**Author's Note: Some reviewers have commented on how James is a really great big brother. So many second generation fics about Al portray James as the biggest prick in the world who cares only about himself and his overinflated ego. There's nothing wrong with that for those stories I guess, but for mine I felt like, although he can undoubtedly be a bit of a git (that's pretty much established in the DH Epilogue) he's actually a good big brother when he wants to be and he cares a lot about Al, even if he doesn't always show it.**

**Disclaimer: If you don't know that Harry Potter and the song don't belong to me then I think you need help**

**Chapter Seven: Or Maybe I'll Just Steal Your Heart**

Albus and James were walking back up to Gryffindor Tower after Quidditch practice.

"What was up with missing the Snitch there, little bro?" he teased, punching Albus on the shoulder.

"Ow!" said Albus, jumping back.

"What's your deal?" said James. "I didn't punch you _that_ hard."

He punched him again, grinning.

Albus winced.

"What's _wrong_ with you?" said James. "You hurt or something?"

"No," said Albus defensively.

"That's the same arm you were having trouble with during practice," said James slowly. "Did something happen?"

"No," said Albus again.

Suddenly James shot out his arm and punched Albus in the shoulder again.

"Ouch! What was that for?"

"You _are_ hurt," said James. "Let me see."

"It's nothing," said Albus, pulling away.

James grabbed Albus's arm and pulled back his robes.

"What the hell Al?" he said. "Your arm's like one big bruise! Who did this to you?"

"It was an accident," said Albus. "He didn't mean to."

"_Who_ didn't mean to, Al?"

"Nobody."

"_Al_."

"He's hurt okay? He didn't know what he was doing."

"It was the Malfoy kid wasn't it?"

"I told you, it's no big deal."

"He hurt you! I don't want you hanging around with him."

"He needs me. James, please. I'm his only friend."

"I mean it, Al," said James. "For you I was willing to give him a chance, but he's beating you up, you can't trust that kid. He's trouble. He's a _Malfoy_."

"He's not 'beating me up', James," said Albus. "It was a one time thing. An accident. He's not _trouble_, he's just a little—messed up."

"No shit he's messed up," said James. "And I don't want you getting yourself into that. You saved his life. It's not your issue anymore."

"It _is_ my issue, James. He's my _friend_."

"Since when?"

"Since—since now, okay? Don't ask me to explain it, I don't understand it either, but I can't just walk away from him. Not again. James, if you don't want anything to do with him, fine, I understand, but if I don't help him, who will?"

James looked at his brother. "Okay, fine," he said grudgingly. But if he hurts you again...."

"James, you hurt me all the time!"

"Yeah, but that's different. I'm _allowed_ to hurt you. I'm your brother!"

Albus laughed. "Sure, that makes a whole lot of sense..."

*****TTG*****

The next day when Albus came back to the common room after classes he tapped his little sister, who was talking with her friends, on the shoulder.

"Lily?"

"What?"

"Can you meet me in the hospital wing in about an hour?"

"Why?" asked Lily curiously.

Albus gave her a significant look and recognition dawned on the eleven-year-old's face.

"Oh! Yeah, sure," said Lily.

"Thanks, Lils."

"No problem, Al."

Albus made his way up to the hospital wing and let himself into Scorpius's room.

Scorpius was sitting Indian-style in the middle of the bed. Someone had given him a sketchpad and pencil and he was bent over, intent on his drawing. He was pretty, thought Albus, watching him, almost girlish, with his long blond hair and pixie-like features. Before, when they had hated each other, Albus had called Scorpius a "pretty boy" as an insult, but the label wasn't really that far off the mark.

"I didn't know you could draw," said Albus.

Scorpius jumped and his sketchpad and pencil flew out of his hand.

"Sorry," said Albus, biting his lip. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine," said Scorpius, still breathing rather quickly and looking embarrassed. He quickly shoved the sketch under his pillow. "How're you?"

"Me? I'm fine," said Albus. "How're you?"

Scorpius gave a one shouldered shrug. "I've been worse."

Albus sat down beside his friend. "Did you talk to her?"

Scorpius didn't have to ask who Albus was talking about. "Uh huh," he said absently, twirling a lock of blond hair around his finger. "I told her—about how I haven't got any real friends. _Didn't_ have any real friends," he amended, eyes flicking toward Albus. "We—er—talked about it."

There was a moment of silence. Then Albus said, "What were you drawing?"

"Nothing much," mumbled Scorpius evasively.

"Can I see?" asked Albus, reaching for the sketchbook.

"No!" said Scorpius, shoving Albus away by the shoulder.

"Ow!" said Albus, grabbing his shoulder.

Scorpius's eyes went wide. "Al? Al, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," said Albus, grimacing. "Sore shoulder. Quidditch."

"Let me see," said Scorpius.

"No, it's fine," said Albus a little too quickly.

Before Albus could stop him, Scorpius's slim fingers reached up and pulled down the collar of Albus's robes, exposing a purple and green fist-sized bruise.

Scorpius sucked in his breath. "I did that, didn't I?"

"Scorp, I get bruises all the time," said Albus evasively.

"How many more?" asked Scorpius, rolling up Albus's sleeves, revealing several smaller bruises.

"A few," said Albus reluctantly.

"Oh, Al..." said Scorpius, turning his face away in shame.

"It's okay. Really," said Albus, patting his friend's shoulder.

Scorpius flinched. "It's not," he said.

"They're only bruises, Scorp," said Albus. "They'll heal. What made you lash out at me like that anyway?"

"I thought you were—someone else," muttered Scorpius.

Albus looked at him questioningly but Scorpius didn't elaborate. Albus glanced at his watch.

"Hold on a minute, Scorp," he said, standing up. "I'll be right back."

Albus left the room and went into the main hospital wing. Lily was sitting in one of the plastic chairs, swinging her feet back and forth; she was small, her feet didn't even reach the ground. This was one of the reasons Albus had though that she would be the best one to meet Scorpius first. She could be full of energy when she was excited, but she could also be sweet and calm, and she wasn't at all intimidating.

"Come on, Lils," said Albus.

His sister stood up and followed him back to Scorpius's room.

*****TTG*****

Scorpius looked up when Albus entered the room. This time he wasn't alone. Scorpius stared at the small red-headed girl behind him. Scorpius didn't remember her name, but he recognized her as Albus's younger sister. A first year, he thought.

"Scorp, this is my sister Lily," said Albus.

"Hi, Scorpius." said the little girl, smiling sweetly and openly.

"Hi," said Scorpius.

"I'm Lily," she said. "You're Scorpius. It's nice to meet you."

"Er—you too," said Scorpius, warming to her smile in spite of himself.

Lily cocked her head. "You're pretty," she announced candidly.

Scorpius gaped at her.

"Lily!" exclaimed Albus, looking mortified. "You don't tell _boys_ that they're pretty!"

"But he _is_," Lily insisted.

"No, it's fine," said Scorpius. "Er—thanks, Lily."

"You're welcome," she said, flashing a cheeky grin at her brother. Scorpius decided that he liked this girl.

Lily walked toward him. Scorpius tried to shove his wrists, now bandage-free but still vividly scarred, out of sight, but the little girl grabbed his arm. Face somber, she stared at the scars for a couple seconds.

Scorpius glanced up at Albus. Would the other boy be angry with him? First he beat Albus up, and now Albus's eleven-year-old sister was looking at the evidence of his suicide attempt.

"You didn't have any friends," the girl said. It wasn't a question. Scorpius shook his head anyway.

"Now you have two," announced Lily, "so you won't be depressed. And you won't try that," she indicated the cuts on his arms.

"Lily," said Scorpius, fumbling for words. "You shouldn't—"

"I'm nearly twelve, Scorpius," said Lily. "I'm not a baby. When my mum was in her first year she was captured by Voldemort. In my dad's first year he _fought_ Voldemort. I know you tried to kill yourself." Here her lip trembled. "You must have been really, really upset. I though you were a git before, but now Albus likes you. So I like you too. You seem nice. I'm glad I got a chance to know you."

Scorpius patted Lily's shoulder. "I'm glad I got the chance to know you too."

*****TTG*****

After Albus and Lily had left, Scorpius sat on his bed, thinking. Albus. Albus Potter. They had hated each other, hated each other since they had met on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of their first year. Scorpius had been okay then. It was during that year that his life had started to go downhill. And now Albus and he were...friends? Could Albus, Albus and his bright, easygoing little sister, make Scorpius's life worth living again? He though of the way Albus had stood up to his father; how he had stayed by Scorpius even when Scorpius had hit him; the look in his bright green eyes when he had told him everything was going to be okay; the warmth of Albus's bare shoulder under his fingertips...

**AN: Yay! Scorpius's POV! I thought it was about time to get inside the poor kid's head, but I couldn't really do it before now because it was really about Albus at the beginning and Scorpius's character really has to be revealed more slowly. **

**Reviews=Happy ;)**


	8. To Have But Not To Hold

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it again. I own my plot. Everything else belongs to Jo. Except the song. That belongs to the Senate.**

**Chapter Eight: To Have But Not To Hold**

After a few more days of therapy, the therapist, Madam Pomfrey, and Headmistress McGonagall decided that Scorpius was ready to resume his schoolwork. Albus was made responsible for bringing him the work every evening and delivering it to the teachers when Scorpius had completed it. Scorpius would continue his therapy, and he wouldn't be rejoining the rest of the school just yet, but no one wanted him to fall too far behind on his work.

*****TTG*****

"Hey, Scorp," said Albus, throwing his bag down on Scorpius's bed. "I have your schoolwork for you."

"Great," said Scorpius sarcastically.

"I also brought a couple friends," said Albus. "I hope you don't mind."

Scorpius looked toward the doorway. A girl with bushy red hair, whom Scorpius recognized as Rose Weasley, stood in between the dark-brown-haired James Potter and a very pretty blond girl of the same age whose named he couldn't remember but whom he was pretty sure was related to Albus. A cousin or something.

"Hi," said Rose. "I'm Albus's cousin Rose."

James nodded nonchalantly, leaning against the door frame. "James," he said. "Albus's older brother."

"And I'm Dominique. Dominque Weasley," said the tall, willowy blond in a lilting voice. "You can call me Domi."

"Hi," said Scorpius, suddenly feeling incredibly stupid lying in his bed like an invalid in front of Albus's family. He got up quickly and gave Rose, James, and Dominique an awkward smile; for some reason he felt like he had to make a good impression on them, but he didn't really know where to start, especially since they had all basically hated him before.

"Eventually I want you to meet all of my friends and family," Albus explained, grabbing Scorpius's hand and pulling him over. "But there are a lot of them and I didn't want to overwhelm you."

Scorpius shot a small, grateful smile at Albus, his stomach doing a funny flip-flop as the other boy squeezed his hand. Albus seemed to understand him so well sometimes...

"I like your friends and family," said Scorpius.

Rose, James, and Dominique stayed in Scorpius's room for an hour, playing cards and chess, reading magazines, and just hanging out. Scorpius couldn't remember the last time he had felt so relaxed. If he ever had. Then the other three left and Albus and Scorpius were alone again.

"Do you really like them?" asked Albus as he packed up his wizards' chess set.

"Yeah," said Scopius, kneeling beside Albus to help him. He reached for a piece, a white rook, at the same time that Albus did and their fingers touched. Scorpius jerked his hand back.

"Oh—er—sorry," he stuttered, blushing.

"For what?" said Albus, confused.

"Oh, right, nothing," mumbled Scorpius.

Albus shrugged. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, tomorrow," said Scorpius, sounding just a little forlorn.

*****TTG*****

By the end of the week, Scorpius had met all of Albus's family and close friends at Hogwarts. It was a little intimidating, having all these people crowding around him, especially since the only times anyone outside of his own family had paid much attention to him before now had been less than pleasant, to say the least. But it was kind of nice too. His favorite time though was once all of his other visitors had left and it was him and Albus, just the two of them.

"How are you doing, Scorp?" asked Albus, sitting himself cross-legged on the bed beside Scorpius.

"I'm okay," said Scorpius.

Albus scooted closer to Scorpius, picked up the Slytherin's long, white-blond hair, and started to braid it.

"You know how to braid?" asked Scorpius, surprised.

"I do have a younger sister and five female cousins," said Albus, laughing lightly.

"Mmmm," said Scorpius absently, closing his eyes and letting Albus run his fingers through his hair. It felt unbelievably good...and his laugh sounded almost like music...

"Scorp," said Albus, pulling Scorpius out of his blissful reverie. Scorpius started guiltily and moved hastily away from Albus.

"Aren't you ever going to show me any of your sketches?"

Albus had seen Scorpius drawing in his sketchbook nearly every day when he came to see him, but hadn't mentioned anything about it since that first day.

"They're—er—kind of personal," said Scorpius uncomfortably.

"I'd really like to see them," said Albus.

Damnit, how could Scorpius say no to him when he looked at him like that?

"All right," said Scorpius reluctantly.

Against his better judgment, Scorpius reached underneath his pillow and pulled out his sketchbook. Flipping quickly past the first couple of pages, he opened it to a picture of a finely featured unicorn. The unicorn, which was pitch black, was rearing up on its hind legs, a look of crazed pain and fury in its eyes. It was bound with ropes of fire which were anchored to the ground by large pegs. Blood poured from its mouth and flanks. A figure was standing by the unicorn's head, heedless of the flames. It looked as though the figure were trying to calm to beast down; one hand was extended toward the unicorn's head, the other appeared to be trying to cut one of the fiery ropes. The flames were positioned so that the person was back-lit, their face and features obscured by shadows. Albus stared at the drawing, enthralled. Scorpius was an amazing artist. The picture had a kind of horrific dark beauty to it; morbid and sinister, but also breathtaking.

"Wow," breathed Albus.

"You like it?" said Scorpius.

"It's—amazing," said Albus. "But why did they tie it down like that? Are they trying to kill it?"

"They don't like it," said Scorpius. "It's different from them."

"Who's that?" said Albus, pointing at the shadowed figure.

"A noble fool," said Scorpius, a hint of humorless laughter coloring his tone.

Albus ran his tongue over his lips. "You're a good artist," he said.

"You really think so?" said Scorpius, a warm glow spreading through him.

"Definitely," said Albus. "You should show some of them to Domi, she's an artist too."

"Really?" said Scorpius. "I'd like to see some of her work."

"I'll tell her," promised Albus.

Albus looked up from the sketch and caught Scorpius's eyes.

Scorpius felt ask though he was drowning in Albus's emerald eyes; he felt like he could fall through them forever and ever...

"Scorp? Scorp? Hey, Scorpius, snap out if it!"

"Huh?" said Scorpius, feeling dazed. Albus was snapping his fingers in front of his face.

"You totally zoned out there," Albus told him.

"Oh—er—I guess I'm just—tired is all," he said.

Albus glanced at his watch.

"Wow, it is pretty late, and we've both got work to do still. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," said Scorpius distantly.

Albus cast him a slightly concerned look, but Scorpius gave him a reassuring smile.

"Go on, Al, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Scorp."

As Albus walked out of the room his mind was still on the picture Scorpius had shown him. The beauty of the piece was breathtaking, but the darkness it expressed troubled him and made his heart ache. There was something more to the image than just a tortured unicorn, Albus was smart enough to realize that. He knew from Domi that artists displayed part of themselves when they took pencil or paints to paper, and he way Scorpius had sounded when he described why the unicorn was being tortured gave Albus a pretty good idea of who the beast was supposed to be...

*****TTG*****

Once Albus had shut the door, Scorpius leaned back against the headboard and ran his fingers through the silky strands of his hair, which was already falling out of its loose braid. He could still feel Albus's fingers running through his hair, could still smell Albus in the air of the room, could still hear his throaty laugh.

_Oh Merlin_, he thought. _Oh Fuck_. This couldn't happen. He couldn't think that way. Not about _Albus_. Albus was his friend, and he had to keep it that way. He had to. Because if he didn't, Scorpius would have nothing left.

**AN: What did you think of Scorpius's drawing? Had you forgotten about the sketches or were you still wondering about them? I'll tell you that we're not done with them yet ;) **

**I won't pressure you to review (and that's not meant to be a 'strong suggestion' guilt trip, really) but if you do feel like reviewing I do love getting them! Even if it's months after this was posted.**


	9. Tired of Feeling Less Than Whole

**Disclaimer: Plot mine. Everything else not.**

**Chapter Nine: Tired of Feeling Less Than Whole**

On Monday, after two weeks of therapy, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Scorpius's therapist judged Scorpius ready to return to classes. Scorpius did not share this opinion.

"I don't want to go back," he said, his voice bordering on hysteria. "I'm doing fine with my schoolwork. My friends visit me here. I won't go back. You can't make me!"

"It is important for you to reintegrate yourself into the school environment," his therapist told him. "You can't heal if you keep yourself shut away."

"I'm not ready," begged Scorpius. "Give me more time. They'll tease me and whisper behind my back. 'That's Scorpius Malfoy, the one who tried to kill himself.' It'll be worse than before."

The therapist signed. "All right, we'll give it a few more days. But you _will _have to go back eventually," she added sternly.

"I know," said Scorpius miserably. _But I want to postpone that day for as long as possible_, he added silently. When Scorpius went back to school, when he left this mystical limbo he was living in, everything would go back to the way it was before and Albus would stop being his friend. _That's the way the world works_, Scoprius thought cynically at his therapist's retreating back. _You think when I go back to school, that's when my life will begin again, but really that's the day it will end, and this time I won't botch it up_.

*****TTG*****

"Scorp," said Albus, adjusting his robes so he could sit more comfortably, "why don't you want to come back to school?"

Scorpius chewed a lock of his hair. "I'm not ready," he insisted.

"You _are_ ready," said Albus. "You're just acting like a spoiled brat."

Scorpius stared determinedly at the bedspread; it was happening already.

"I'm sorry," said Albus, touching Scorpius's arm gently. "I didn't mean that. It's just—don't you get bored here? And stop doing that," he added, pulling Scorpius's hair out of his mouth.

"I don't get bored," said Scorpius, shifting away from Albus's touch and twirling the offending lock of hair around his finger. "I like it here. It's peaceful and quiet. I can draw, or look out the window, or read, or do schoolwork. And I have you and Lily and Rose and Hugo and Domi and Jerry and Asher and all the rest of your friends and family.

"Isn't there anything you miss?"

"No," said Scorpius flatly.

"Not even your house?" said Albus.

"My house hates me," said Scorpius.

"Not even Quidditch?" said Albus slyly.

Scorpius bit his lip.

"Well...maybe I miss Quidditch a little bit," he conceded.

"You can't play Quidditch inside," Albus pointed out.

"I can read about it, though," said Scorpius, waving his hand at the pile of Quidditch magazines beside he bed.

"It's not the same," said Albus.

Scorpius sucked of a piece of hair. Albus was right, it wasn't the same.

"And it'll be different this time," said Albus. "You'll have friends."

Scorpius shook his head. "It'll all be the same," he said.

"What do you mean?" demanded Albus indignantly.

"I'll go back to school," said Scorpius in a tone of resigned despair. "I'll go back to Slytherin, you'll all be in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. You'll be popular, and I'll be a loser again."

Albus grabbed Scorpius's forearms; the blond boy tried to wrench himself away but Albus just tightened his grip.

Scorpius's breath quickened. He tried to shove the memories out of his head. _Don't panic_, he told himself. _Let go!_ Screamed a voice in his head.

"Look at me," Albus said forcefully. Scorpius's stared at his lap. "I said _look at me_," repeated Albus.

Slowly, reluctantly, Scorpius lifted his eyes to Albus's, afraid of what he would see there without knowing quite what it was that he was fearing. Albus's eyes caught and held his, making him as helpless as a fly caught in a spider's web.

"You are _not_ a loser, Scorpius Malfoy," said Albus fiercely. "You are my _friend_, and nothing, _nothing_ is ever going to change that. Do you understand me?"

Albus traced Scorpius's scars with his thumbs. Scorpius shivered as the feather-light contact sent waves of tingling energy coursing through him.

"Do you understand me?" Albus repeated.

"You wouldn't say that if you knew everything," he whispered finally.

"Everything?" said Albus. "What do you mean, everything?"

Scorpius pulled away from Albus's grip. If he told him this, he would lose him. But he couldn't keep on deceiving Albus like this.

"What they call me, when they see me in the halls; what they whisper behind their hands, sneer into my ear in the common room."

"Why should I care what those gits call you?" asked Albus.

"Homo," continued Scorpius, as though he hadn't heard; he spoke robotically, as though in a trance. "Poof. Fagot. Freak. Abomination. Ass Fucker."

His worst fears seemed confirmed as Albus looked at him in horrified confusion.

"Al," he continued, forcing out the words, "there's something I haven't told you. The other Slytherins, they don't just pick on me 'cause I'm a Malfoy or 'cause I'm small or—or just 'cause..."

"What is it, Scorp?" said Albus, laying a hand on his friend's arm.

Scorpius jerked away, unable to stand the touch.

"Albus..." whispered Scorpius miserably, "I'm gay."

Albus stared at him for a minute. This was Scorpius's earth-shattering secret? Sure, it was a shock, but it did kind of make sense not that he thought about it. And really...

"So?"

"So?" repeated Scorpius, completely taken aback. _"So?"_

"Yeah," said Albus. "So?"

"So! So, I'm _gay_! I'm a homo! A fagot! A poof! I'm a guy who likes other guys!"

"Scorpius, don't call yourself all those disgusting words; I know what 'gay' means," said Albus. "I won't pretend I'm not a little—a little thrown, but why should your being gay impact our friendship?"

Scorpius opened and closed his mouth several times before he was able to speak.

"You—you don't care that I'm gay?"

"Why should I?"

"You—you honestly don't care that I'm _gay_?"

"You're still the same Scorpius," said Albus. "Nothing's changed."

"Nothing's changed? What do you _mean_, nothing's changed! I'm _gay_!"

"We've established that," said Albus calmly. "But you were gay yesterday, weren't you? And the day before that? And two weeks ago? Nothing about you has changed at all. You're still the same Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy you were when we started being friends. The only thing that's different now is that I know more about who you are."

Scorpius's mind was reeling. He didn't know what to think.

"The few people I ever came close to being real friends with flipped out when they heard I was gay."

"That's awful," said Albus, shaking his head in disgust. "Merlin, Scorp, that's really terrible, Fucking bastards. You want me to beat them up for you?"

Scorpius gave a very watery laugh. Albus was even shorter than he was, and only slightly more substantially built.

"I thought you'd hate me again if you knew. At first I thought maybe you did know, and that's why you hated me in the first place."

"Scorp, I hated you 'cause you're a Malfoy. Which is almost as stupid as hating you because you're gay, I admit, but your sexual orientation had nothing to do with why I hated you."

"Oh Al, you're the best!" cried Scorpius, flinging his arms around Albus's neck.

Albus hugged Scorpius tightly. Scorpius pressed himself against Albus's body, needing to feel the other boy's hands on his back, his heartbeat against his chest, his hair brushing his cheek. Oh Merlin, but it felt good. Scorpius's hands moved over Albus's back and into his messy black hair. Suddenly realizing what he was doing, Scorpius pulled away quickly, terrified he might forget himself and do something irreparable.

He sat there, breathing heavily, avoiding Albus's eye.

For his part, Albus wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but he wished vaguely that Scorpius hadn't pulled himself away quite so soon.

"I've never told anyone before now," said Scorpius.

"Not even your parents?" said Albus.

"_Especially_ not my parents," said Scorpius, shuddering.

"Then how come all those kids know?"

"They don't _know_," said Scorpius's glumly, "not really; but they guess."

"How come you haven't told your parents?" said Albus.

"They'd be ashamed of me," said Scorpius.

"They'd never be ashamed of you," said Albus. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. They just want you to be happy."

"Trust me," said Scorpius. "You don't know my parents."

"How long have you known you're gay?" said Albus.

"Ages," said Scorpius. "Since the end of my first year. I was twelve. I didn't know what it was at first. I just knew that when all my classmates were starting to look at girls, I wasn't interested in girls; I liked guys instead. Then I heard some older Hufflepuffs talking about this guy who was gay. He was a seventh year Hufflepuff. He graduated before I could get up the nerve to talk to him.

"I went to the library and looked for books on being gay. I didn't dare ask anyone, and it was hard to find the books on my own. The ones I did find, they had a bunch of facts, but none of them answered the one question I really wanted to know: was it wrong to be gay? The books said there were other gay people, but I didn't know any. I _tried_ to like girls, I did, but I just _couldn't_. I thought there must be something wrong with me."

"Scorpius, there's nothing wrong with you," said Albus. "And you're not alone. I know there are other gay people at Hogwarts, There aren't too many who are really open about it, but they're there. I guess it's more acceptable in the other houses than in Slytherin."

Scorpius rested his head on Albus's shoulder and Albus combed his fingers absently through Scorpius's hair.

"You'll still be my friend if I go back?" said Scorpius finally.

"Of course," said Albus.

Scorpius swallowed. "Do you want me to go back?"

Albus stroked Scorpius's fair hair. Merlin knew he didn't want Scorpius hurt anymore; the other boy felt so delicate, so fragile, like the slightest puff of air would break him. How could he have ever hated him?

"Yes," said Albus. "I think you need to; you can't stay cooped up here forever, you need to face them, show they that you're stronger than them."

"What if I'm not?"

"You are," said Albus with perfect conviction.

Scorpius closed his eyes and breathed in Albus's scent. Albus believed in him, Albus wanted him to go back to classes. Scorpius wanted to please Albus, he realized, more than anything; as much as he wanted to please his father. His father...what would he think of Scorpius right now? Scorpius was being a coward, a crybaby, a weakling. He was a Malfoy for Merlin's sake.

Scorpius sat up straighter, pulling himself away from Albus's hold and dashing the tears from his cheeks. He took a deep breath.

"Okay."

**AN: So finally we find out that Scorpius is gay (like we didn't know that already). I know the slash part is moving really slowly, but it'll get there eventually, I promise. Reviews are still always welcome, no matter how long ago this was posted.**

**-SQ**


	10. And Now It's Happened All Again

**Disclaimer: As in I don't claim Harry Potter or the song. Enough said.**

**Chapter Ten: And Now It's Happened All Again**

When Scorpius slid into his seat at the back of the Charms classroom next morning, every eye in the room turned to focus on him. Wishing very much that Albus had this class with him, Scorpius stared determinedly at Professor Carmichael and tried to focus solely on the lesson. Scorpius was good at this; it was how he had endured the past two years of school. Having no real friends, Scorpius had thrown all his concentration into his studies, earning good marks and making it easier to tune out all of the whispering and block out all of the stares. Taking a steadying breath, Scorpius tucked all of his emotion deep within himself and pulled on his mask of indifference, so that even when Professor Carmichael called even more attention to him by welcoming him back, he barely registered embarrassing mutters from the other students.

*****TTG*****

Albus, meanwhile, was fidgeting his way through double Herbology.

"Ablus, _relax_!" said Rose exasperatedly, catching Albus's planting pot before it fell off the table. "I'm sure he's doing fine."

"I know," said Albus, struggling to shove a wriggling seed pod into the soil. "But what if he's not? He must be scared shitless. I just wish I could be with him, you know?"

"Don't swear," Rose scolded mildly. "You'll see him at lunch." She slid her own seed pod into the pot effortlessly. "Right now you need to concentrate on Herbology."

Albus sighed. He couldn't explain it, and he knew it was silly, but he felt responsible for the Slytherin, as though it was his job to protect him, almost like he did toward Lily. But that saw ridiculous. Scorpius was a few months _older_ than him, and he and Albus had only been friends for a few weeks. Hell, Scorpius was probably sick of him. This thought made Albus's insides tighten uncomfortably and he tried to push it out of his mind and focus on his and Rose's planting pot, which was now wobbling dangerously on the table as one of the seed pods Albus had planted tried to get free.

"Careful, Albus!" called Professor Longbottom, as the pot gave a particularly large jump and Rose barely caught it for the second time. "Keep your mind on your work, please!"

*****TTG*****

As Scorpius left the History of Magic classroom and headed toward the Great Hall he felt a large hand push him back against the wall.

"Look who's back," sneered Zachary Goyle, a burly, goonish fifth year. "Nice to see you Malfoy."

"Did you miss us?" said Sylvester Nott, reaching out and taking a handful of of Scorpius's pale hair in his fist.

"Leave me alone," said Scorpius weakly, trying to pull away from the older boys. "I need to get to lunch."

"What's so urgent that you can't even spare some time for old friends?" leered Goyle, shoving Scorpius harder into the wall.

"I know," said Nott, his sharp eyes glinting evilly, "he's off to see his prissy pants Gryffindor _boyfriend_ Potter."

"He's not my boyfriend!" said Scorpius, flaring at the insult to Albus. "You leave him alone!"

"Oo-oo, possessive little fagot, aren't you?" sniggered Goyle, leaning in so his face was inches from Scorpius's own.

Scorpius's turned his head away. "Let go of me!"

"Hey Zach," said Nott, running a long, bony finger down Scorpius's cheek. Scorpius shuddered. "I reckon he thinks he's too _good_ for us now, since he started hanging out with Precious Potter, Son of the Chosen One."

"Is there a problem boys?" said a voice.

The three of them looked up. Professor Longbottom, the nice, but slightly absentminded Herbology professor was walking toward them down the hall. In one motion, Nott and Goyle stepped away from Scorpius and put on their most innocent expressions.

"No, not at all, Professor," said Nott smoothly, practically oozing charm. There was a reason he got away with pretty much everything. "Just welcoming our house-mate here back to classes."

Goyle clapped a heavy hand down on Scorpius's shoulder.

Professor Longbottom scanned the scene.

"Run along now boys," he said sternly. "You should be in the Great Hall for lunch."

"Yes, sir," said Nott with false sincerity. "Right away." And he and Goyle grabbed Scorpius by the arms and steered him toward the Great Hall.

_See Albus?_ he thought miserably. _I told you it was just going to be the same as before._

*****TTG*****

"I don't see him," said Albus, craning his neck to look over at the Slytherin table.

"Eat your lunch, Al," said Rose impatiently.

"But why isn't he here?"

"How should I know?" said Rose. "Maybe he's getting help with his schoolwork or catching up with his friends. Stop worrying.

"I'm not _worrying_," said Albus defensively, "I'm _wondering_. And he hasn't got any friends."

"Gee, you're optimistic," said Asher from Albus's other side. "Come on, your soup's getting cold."

"There he is!" said Lily, poking Albus in the arm and pointing.

Albus looked over quickly and then frowned.

"What's he doing with Nott and Goyle?"

"Their dads were friends with his dad," said James, piling his plate with a second helping of potatoes. "And I've seen them and him together before. Probably know each other outside of school."

"Yeah," muttered Albus, trying to shake the idea that something didn't feel right about those two being with Scorpius, "you're probably right."

*****TTG*****

Once they reached the Great Hall, Scorpius ate his lunch as quickly as possible, which wasn't difficult since Crabbe and Goyle had caused him to completely lose his appetite. While the two fifth years were still wolfing down their third helpings, Scorpius got up from the table and headed straight for the exit. As he reached it, he felt a hand on his shoulder and swung around, fists raised in front of his face.

"Whoa there, Scorp," said Albus, taking a step backwards. "It's just me."

Scorpius lowered his hands, flushing. "Al!" he said, relief washing over him and his earlier resentment of Ablus's optimism draining away. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Why were you so late to lunch, huh?" said Albus, looping his arm through Scorpius's and leading him out into the entrance hall.

Scorpius drew his arm away from Albus. Though he almost craved the Gryffindor's reassuring touch, it was far too dangerous to be so close to him.

"Some of my house-mates wanted to speak with me," he said in casual voice.

"Nott and Goyle?"

"Yeah."

"What did they want?"

"Nothing much," said Scorpius vaguely. "How's your day been?"

"Like usual," said Albus, giving him a searching look. "How about yours?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Same."

"Anyone give you trouble?" asked Albus.

"Er—not really," said Scorpius. I wasn't _that much _of a lie...it was only Nott and Goyle, and he'd had worse from them.

"See?" said Albus, flashing Scorpius a dazzling smile. "I told you everything would be alright."

"Yeah," said Scorpius, watching the dimples at the corners of Albus's mouth and wishing that he could believe the words coming out of it. "Sure."

**AN: I really don't want to be one of those people who begs for reviews. But if you do feel so inclined I would love to have them :)**

**-SQ**


	11. Tired of All the Looks You Give Me

**Disclaimer: Again. Harry Potter and the song "Turn to gold are not mine. Really.**

**Chapter Eleven: Tired of All the Looks You Give Me**

Over the next week, Scorpius began to think that maybe having Albus and his family and friends as his friends actually could make things better, at least a little bit. The animosity from the other houses eased considerably when they saw the Potter-Weasley clan accept him as one of their own.

"Hi, Scorp," said Rose, smiling at him as they passed each other in the hall.

"You okay, Scorpius?" Dominique, stopping by the shelf where he was looking for a book in the library.

"Hey, Scorp!" beamed Lily, bouncing on the balls of her feet to give him a quick hug before rushing off with her friends.

"Hey," acknowledged Jerry with a half-wave as they both headed into the Great Hall for lunch.

Still, Scorpius couldn't help being paranoid that somehow it was all going to fall apart. It was simply too good to be true. In fact, it _was_ too good to be true. Everything came with a price, and Albus's price was Albus himself. The Gryffindor's presence was nearly intoxicating, and for that very reason Scorpius could never completely let his guard down with of his best friend.

Albus noticed that the physical affection that Scorpius had seemed to finally accept was once again being rebuffed by the blond boy. Albus was a naturally affectionate and physical person, and it was hard to remember to reign himself in when he was around his new best friend. Still, for Scorpius's sake he did his best; the last thing he wanted to do was to upset the other boy and cause him to retreat into himself again. Albus's secret goal was to make Scorpius into the fun, sweet, beautiful boy that occasionally came out when they were alone together or with just a few of Albus's family members. But Albus knew that that was going to take a lot of work.

*****TTG*****

"Hey, Scorp, I know you've got that match against Ravenclaw coming up and you've missed a lot of Quidditch practices. Fred said if you come by after our practice tonight he can leave the Snitch out for us and you and he and James and I can practice a bit. If you want to."

Scorpius looked at Albus, who was leaning against the wall outside the Transfiguration classroom.

"Yeah, alright," he said, his heart leaping at the thought of being back on a broom again. "Thanks."

"No problem. We're still gonna cream you in the final though," Albus added with a cocky grin.

"You wish, Potter," said Scorpius, thrusting his nose in the air like he often used to when he and Albus would square off in their enemy days.

Albus swatted him playfully on the arm, making his skin tingle more than the light slap had any right to.

"You're on, Malfoy."

*****TTG*****

"Great practice, team," said Fred as the team landed back on the field after practice. "Really good teamwork. It'd be good to tighten up our formations, especially later on in the game when we start to get tired, but if we keep working as hard as we have been we'll have no problem winning the cup. Now go on and get changed."

Most of the team headed off toward the locker rooms, but Fred, James, and Albus stayed where they were.

"Aren't you coming?" said the Keeper, Annika Wood, a talented sixth year whose father had been a professional Quidditch player, and also the Gryffindor team Keeper and Captain before Albus's own father.

"Nah," said Fred. "We're staying for a bit."

"What for?" said Annika.

"Albus wants to practice some with the Malfoy kid," said James.

Alubs kicked James in the shin.

Annika's eyes narrowed. "Malfoy? But he's the Slytherin Seeker!"

"He hasn't flown in weeks and Slytherin's got a game coming up," said Albus. "I just want to help him out. Besides, it'll be cool to train with another Seeker."

Annika rounded on Fred. "And you're going along with this?"

Fred shrugged. "Slytherin's game's not against Gryffindor, it's against Ravenclaw. And don't forget Ravenclaw won the cup last year. Embarrassing. If Slytherin can beat them so much the better."

Annika raised her eyebrows incredulously. _"Malfoy?"_

"Scorpius is my friend," said Albus, scowling.

"Come on, Anni," said Fred reasonably. "Does it really matter that much? It's just a little flying practice. Al's right, Seekers don't get to train together much. Besides, the kid's had enough problems, don't add to them. Go on back to Gryffindor Tower. We'll be there later."

Annika threw up her hands in defeat and stalked off the field as Scorpius came walking down the path, his Silver Lightning 500 over his shoulder.

"What was that all about?" he asked, glancing nervously over his shoulder at Annika.

"Nothing," said Albus. "Let's practice."

Albus leapt onto his Borealis 3000 and pushed off the ground, immediately soaring thirty feet into the air. Looking down, he saw that Scorpius was still on the ground.

"What are you waiting for?" he called down, swooping lower again. "Don't you want to fly?"

Scorpius nodded fervently and threw his leg over his own broom. It rose gracefully off the ground until it was hovering beside Albus's.

"You ready yet?" shouted James impatiently.

"Yeah!" Albus called down to his brother.

James jumped onto his own Borealis and shot up to join the other two. Fred bent down and let the Snitch and one Bludger back out of their case and then joined them in the air.

Soon the four boys were rocketing around the pitch. Albus and Scorpius fought each other for the Snitch while dodging both the Bludger and James.

Up in the air, with the wind whipping through his long, streaming hair, chasing Albus back and forth and swerving to avoid James and he tried to unseat him, Scorpius felt truly happy for the first time in a long, long time. Somehow, up here all of his problems seemed far away, as if he had left them all back down on the ground. Scorpius wished he could fly forever. But soon it became too dark to see the Snitch and Fred called the other three down from the air.

"Okay, Malfoy," said Fred, only half teasingly. "Now you'd better beat Ravenclaw on Saturday."

While James went on ahead and Fred stayed behind to put away the balls, Albus and Scorpius walked leisurely back up to the castle. Walking in silence, Albus glanced sideways at his friend. The blond boy's cheeks were flushed and his eyes were brighter than Albus had ever seen them; strands of windblown blond hair fell around his face. Albus found himself wishing he had Scorpius's or Domi's artistic ability so that he could draw Scorpius at this moment. He looked like something right out of a romantic painting. An angel or a faerie. Scorpius turned to look at him and Albus realized he was staring. Flushing, Albus quickly looked away, wondering why his heart was suddenly racing as through he had just gotten off his broom, when they had really been walking for several minutes.

Scorpius fought an urge to kick the pebbles he was walking on. He wished Albus would keep his bloody eyes to himself. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn't help it. Did Albus _know_ how he looked at him? The silly Gryffindor didn't wear his heart on his sleeve, he wore it in his eyes. And this wasn't the first time Scorpius had nearly been ensnared by them. The dark haired boy looked at him with such terribly wonderful _brotherly_ affection that it almost made Scorpius sick. If only Albus wouldn't look at him like that it would be so much easier to pretend like that was all that Scorpius felt too.

As the two boys parted ways in the entrance hall, the only thing that kept Albus from watching Scorpius descend the stairs to the dungeons was that he could feel the Slytherin watching him climb the marble staircase up to the first floor. This wasn't the first time he had felt the other boy staring at him like this, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The few times he had managed to turn around quickly enough to catch Scorpius's eyes there had been a look in them that he couldn't for the life of him interpret. He wished Scorpius would stop _looking_ at him and tell him what was on his mind.

**AN: Thanks for reading :) Remember, reviews are not life-giving, but they sure are lovely.**

**-SQ**


	12. I Only Want To Touch Your face Again

**Author's Note: Things start to get more intense. Again, rated T. Slash. But I do think it's pretty good. I'm proud of it at least :)**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: As in I don't claim Harry Potter or the song.**

**Chapter Twelve: I Only Want To Touch Your Face Again**

There was one place where being friends with Albus was not improving things for Scorpius: Slytherin House.

"Hi, homo," said Zachary Goyle conversationally, slinging a crushing arm around Scorpius's shoulders.

"Get off," said Scorpius, trying to pull away, but Goyle tightened his arm until Scorpius was nearly choking and steered him back toward the staircase to the boys' dorms.

Scorpius looked around the room but, as usual, no one met his eye or acknowledged his predicament.

Goyle led Scorpius over to where Sylvester Nott was lounging in the entry to the stairwell, grinning like a cat with cream.

"Look who decided to join us, _Prince_ Scorpius Malfoy. We thought you'd forgotten all about us, didn't we Zach?" he said, examining his fingernails with a practiced casual air. "Feeling a bit ignored, weren't we?"

Goyle chuckled mockingly.

Nott reached out and took Scorpius's chin in one of his perfectly manicured hands. Scorpius shivered.

"It's not nice to ignore your friends," he hissed softly. "Not nice at all." He squeezed Scorpius's chin harder and trailed a fingernail down the side of his cheek. "Maybe you need a little reminder about how good of _friends_ we are, huh?"

Scorpius shook his head.

"No?" Nott grinned like wolf. "What? Would you rather we—er—_acquaint_ ourselves with your boyfriend instead?"

Scorpius shook his head even harder. "He's not my boyfriend!" he said angrily. "And I told you to leave him alone!"

Nott chuckled darkly and turned Scorpius's face this way and that, as if examining a piece of art.

"Come on," he said, "let's make this a private party." He jerked his head toward the stairs.

Scorpius's stomach dropped. So far he had avoided being caught alone by Nott and Goyle. They had had to do their taunting from the side. Why had he come down the stairs alone today? How could he have been so _foolish_?

Nott let go of Scorpius's face and let the way up the staircase, Goyle pushing Scorpius roughly up the steps from behind.

*****TTG*****

Scorpius ascended the steps from the dungeon, schooling his face into the expression that had caused so much of the rest of the school to deem him "haughty". He was late for dinner. Carefully avoiding looking at the Gryffindors, Scorpius slid into a seat at the Slytherin table as far away from Not and Goyle as possible.

Albus watched Scorpius enter the Great Hall and sit down, trying and failing to catch the Slytherin's eye.

"Scorpius is late again," he said, watching the blond put food on his plate.

"Maybe he was studying," suggested Rose.

"Lost track of time?" suggested Jerry, ladling more gravy onto his potatoes.

"Why won't he look at me?" said Albus.

"He's probably hungry," said James.

"Relax," advised Fred.

"But I haven't talked to him all day," said Albus. "It's almost like he's avoiding me."

"Why would Scorp avoid you?" said Lily.

"I don't know!" said Albus.

"Then you're probably imagining it," said Rose. "Eat your dinner."

Albus finished his dinner quickly and was one of the first to rise from the house tables and head toward the entrance hall. A minute later, Scorpius came out of the Great Hall, head held high and gaze focused straight ahead.

"Hey, Scorp, slow down!" said Albus, trotting after the other boy. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked, catching up to his friend.

Scorpius stared at the floor. He couldn't face Albus now, he _couldn't_. Not after what had happened last night... How could he ever look Albus in the face again?

"Scorp?" said Albus more gently, placing his hands on Scorpius's arms. "Scorp, look at me. Is something wrong?"

Scorpius stared determinedly at the ground. He couldn't bear to see the affection in those bright green eyes, not when his stomach churned with revulsion and shame every time he thought about Albus or Nott and Goyle.

The entrance hall was mostly empty now, the students all heading back to their common rooms or to the library to hang out or study, the lovers slipping into deserted classrooms for secret make-out sessions. Albus put his fingers under Scorpius's chin and lifted the other boy's face to look at him.

Scorpius shuddered involuntarily. How could Albus's touch feel so _good_ and at the same time remind him so horribly of _them_?

When they were both standing straight, Scorpius jaw-line was right at Albus's eye level. Albus was about to pull his hand away when he saw something that made him catch his breath.

"Scorp, what's this?" he turned the other boy's face to profile, tracing the purple bruises with his fingertips. If Albus's hands had been bigger they would have fit perfectly. "Who did this to you?"

"Not important," muttered Scorpius.

"Like hell it's not important," said Albus fiercely. His free hand clenched at his side while his fingertips continued to move over Scorpius's cheek and jaw.

Scorpius bit back a moan. Albus was so fucking close to him; their bodies were mere inches apart. There was a reason he had avoided getting so physically close to Albus over the last couple weeks. It was terrible sweet torture. Half of his body yearned for Albus's touch and half shrank away from the physical contact that until now he had only ever associated with horror and pain. Albus's hand moved from his face to his shoulder and gently pulled him down so that they were both sitting against the cold stone wall.

Albus's mind flicked back through the last few days.

"It was Nott and Goyle, wasn't it?" he said, realization flicking on in his mind.

Scorpius nodded.

"I'll kill them," said Albus "I swear I'll—"

"Stay away from them" said Scorpius, panic rising inside him. "You stay way from them Albus, you hear me?" He gripped Albus's wrists and finally looked into his brilliant green eyes.

Albus stared back at Scorpius. The look in his pale eyes was that of a frightened, wounded animal.

"I don't want them to hurt you," he whispered.

"And I don't want them to hurt _you_," said Scorpius.

The two boys sat there for a while, backs pressed against the cold, hard stone, fingers loosely interlocked at their sides, shoulders touching. Finally, when the sky outside had turned from dusky gray to inky black and thousands of stars reflected their pinpricks of light against the castle windows, Albus and Scorpius rose stiffly to their feet.

"We should go back to our dormitories," said Scorpius. "People are going to wonder where you are."

Albus nodded. "You want me to walk you down?" he asked, indicating the staircase leading to the dungeons.

"No, it's fine," said Scorpius.

"Really," said Albus, "I don't mind."

"You sure?" said Scorpius, hating himself for being this weak.

"Of course." Albus smiled.

Scorpius led the way down to the Slythering dungeons, coaching Albus through the many twists and turns so that he wouldn't get lost on his way back.

The third time Scorpius tried to explain a particularly confusing set of passageways, Albus laughed softly.

"Relax, Scorp. I'll find my way out of here just fine."

"But you've never been down here before," argued Scorpius. "The whole point of the dungeons is for people who don't know them to get lost in them!"

"True," Albus acknowledged. "But most people don't have this."

Grinning, he reached inside his robes and pulled out a piece of old parchment.

Scorpius stared at it in confusion. "What the hell?"

"Watch," said Albus. He pulled out his wand and touched it to the blank parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Scorpius watched in amazement as lines appeared on the parchment. The swirled together, combining and branching off, until a perfectly detailed map of Hogwarts had appeared on the page.

"This," said Albus with a flourish, "is the Maurader's Map."

Scorpius squinted down at the map. By the dim light of the torches he could just make out a bunch of small labeled dots moving around on the map's surface. Leaning closer he realized that each dot represented an inhabitant of the castle.

"What—who—how—" spluttered Scorpius. "Where did you _get_ this?"

"My dad gave it to me," he said. "It was made by his dad and his friends while they were at school. Pretty neat huh?"

"Pretty neat?" echoed Scorpius. "This is—this is _amazing_!"

Albus smiled. "I'm glad you like it," he said. "It's dead useful. Dad gave it to me, but I lend it to James sometimes, since he does more sneaking about than I do. He's got the Invisibility Cloak though, so—"

"_Invisibility Cloak?"_ said Scorpius. "As in _the_ Invisibility Cloak? The third Hallow?"

"Yep," said Albus, enjoying the look on Scorpius's face immensely, "that's the one. Here we are," he added as they stopped before an imposing metal door. "The Slytherin common room."

Scorpius turned to look at Albus. "Er—thanks for walking me down here," he said. "I—I'm sorry I've kind of been avoiding you today. I didn't want you to see—you know."

Albus smiled sadly. "Shhh. You can tell me anything, remember? Don't hide things from me."

He reached up and touched his fingers to Scorpius's cheek. Without meaning to, Scorpius mirrored the gesture. Their eyes met for half a second. Then the moment was gone and Scorpius was hurriedly muttering the password to the iron door and stepping into the Slytherin common room.

"Bye, Scorp," said Albus, unconsciously raising his fingers to the place where Scorpius had touched his skin. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye," murmured Scorpius as the common room door closed behind him. He could still hear Albus's voice: _'You can tell me anything, remember?' _He flexed his tingling fingers and held them to his face, imagining that it was still Albus's face that he felt cupped under his hand, and Albus's fingers he could feel stroking his jawline. His insides squirmed with guilt. _'Don't hide things from me.'_

"But I have to," he whispered.

**AN: Do you like it? I hope so. Tell me your thoughts? :)**

**-SQ**


	13. It's We Who Got us Into This

**Author's Note: The chapters are going to be getting longer now because I had quite a bit more plot to get through and a set number of chapters to do it in, since there are only so many lines in the song I used as chapter names. Not that you're probably complaining, huh?**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: Do I have to say it again. Would I be here is I own Harry Potter? I think not.**

**Chapter Thirteen: It's We Who Got Us Into This**

The day of the highly anticipated Quidditch match between Slytherin and Ravenclaw dawned bright and clear. In addition to the Slytherin Quidditch practices Scorpius had been training with Albus almost every day. These practice sessions were only half serious training. More than anything they were a way for the boys to forget their worries and have fun. Still, when Scorpius walked onto the pitch, his broom over his shoulder, he felt more confident than he could ever remember feeling. He had been good before, very good, but no one had ever told him that. No one had encouraged him by telling him he was doing a great job.

As the team captains shook hands Scorpius looked out into the stands and caught Albus's eye. The Gryffindor grinned at him. Scorpius grinned back, feeling suddenly giddy.

"Mount your brooms!" yelled Madam Hooch,

"Go Scorpius!" Albus yelled loudly as the seven green and seven blue blurs rose up into the air.

The game was an exciting one. The Ravenclaw team was good; they had obviously been practicing hard. Their chasers made a superb team and their beaters moved with surprising speed and agility. The Slytherin team, however, was better. Whatever reputation Slytherin House had for being every-man-for-himself, they worked magic on the Quidditch pitch.

Still, it was a very close game. Slytherin was only up by ten points when the Ravenclaw seeker, a slim sixth year by the name of Haley Sharwick, suddenly made a sharp turn and rocketed toward the stands. Scorpius, who had seen the glimmer of gold at almost the same moment she did, was after her in a flash. He had been flying about twenty feet below her, so while Haley was coming down on the Snitch from above, Scorpius was coming up at it from below.

Albus was on the edge of his seat, his knuckles white from gripping the railing in front of him. Rose had a firm grip on his robes from behind to keep him from toppling over the side.

"Comeoncomeoncomeon!" muttered Albus frantically, leaning toward Scorpius as if he could catch the Snitch for him.

"Sit down, Al!" said Rose, but she sounded nearly as anxious as he did.

Scorpius was shooting upward at an alarming rate, his arm outstretched toward the Snitch, but Haley was closer by several feet. She was going to get it...she put on a last burst of speed and...

Missed the Snitch by a hair. Her fingers grazed it as she overshot her mark and went plummeting toward the ground. She pulled herself out of the free-fall, but by then Scorpius, a look of grim determination on his face, had closed his fingers over the fluttering golden ball.

Albus let out a whoop of triumph and broke free of Rose's hold, rushing down the stadium steps onto the field. The Slytherin team landed on the grass, a cocky grin on every face. As Scorpius dismounted he felt a large hand clap him on the shoulder.

"Good work, Malfoy," said Aidan Flint, the Slytherin team Captain.

"Thanks," said Scorpius.

"Scorp! Scorp, you did it!"

Albus grabbed his friend around the middle. Scorpius hugged him in return, a fiery heat coursing through him.

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?"

*****TTG*****

School, thought Scorpius, with some surprise, wasn't actually all bad. As long as he spent as much time away from the Slytherin common room and as much time with Albus and his family and friends as possible, he could actually have a good time. True, being around Albus had its drawbacks, namely having to endure the horribly painful pleasure that just the sight of the Gryffindor boy invoked in him, but Scorpius decided that it was worth it. He and Albus had taken to staying up into the late hours of the night, using the Maurader's Map to avoid teachers and ghosts, returning to their dormitories long after the other boys were asleep. This way, Scorpius could avoid the antipathetic silence of his dorm-mates and the negative attention of Nott and Goyle.

And with these aspects of his life improving, Scorpius found that he could take a genuine interest in his classes. Granted, History of Magic was still boring, and Care of Magical Creatures was still a bit of a joke, but Scorpius found that he actually enjoyed most of his other classes; earning good marks ceased to be a chore and a distraction. In Charms especially, always Scorpius's favorite subject, his interest was reawakened. Not that he actively tried to make himself stand out in his classes by asking questions and volunteering answers, but neither did he retreat behind the cold, indifferent exterior which made the teachers reluctant to call on him.

*****TTG*****

The end of the school year was fast approaching, and with it both final exams and the Gryffindor vs Slytherin Quidditch Final.

As the Quidditch Final drew closer, Albus and Scorpius ceased their joint training sessions at the pressure of their teammates. It made sense, now that they were working on their individual moves and plans for the upcoming match, but both boys agreed that their practices together had improved their skills; the friendly competition and seeing each other practice helped both of them be more relaxed and also to strive harder than ever.

Scorpius also found that he was getting on better with his teammates. Before, they had just tolerated and basically ignored him, often blaming him when something went wrong. Now he was starting to feel like he was really a part of the team.

"Malfoy!" called Slytherin team captain Aidan Flint, turning his broom around in the air. "Try out that new feint! The one we went over yesterday!"

Scorpius gave Flint a thumbs up and went into the feint, keeping tight control over his hurtling broom, speeding past the other players so fast they were nothing more than green blurs. He pulled out of the feint and wheeled around to face his captain again.

"Cool, Malfoy!" yelled Trish Zabini, Slytherin fifth year and Keeper.

Flint nodded to Scorpius. "But it's a little rough still. Try to clean it up, alright?"

"Alright!" called Scorpius. "Shall I do it again?"

"Yeah, try a couple more times while I work on scoring techniques with the other Chasers."

This boost in confidence also helped Scorpius play better; in fact, he was playing so well that Fred and James were getting worried.

"Al, have you seen your friend Malfoy play lately?" asked Fred at one of the Gryffindor team's last practices.

"Not since we last practiced together," said Albus. "Why?"

"'Cause I saw his team flying yesterday. He's _good_, better than he ever was before you two started training together."

"I'm better than I was before, too," Albus pointed out.

"I'm just saying the Malfoy kid might actually give you a run for your money," said Fred. "You know the kid's style, right?"

"Yes," said Albus impatiently.

"But he knows Al's too," said James.

"Relax," said Albus. "I'm the best Seeker the team's had since Dad, right?"

"We just think you might have taught the Malfoy kid too much," said James.

"I haven't taught _Scorpius _anything," said Albus irritably, stressing his friend's first name. "We practiced and learned _together_. Come on, let's play."

*****TTG*****

The day of the big game finally arrived. Both Albus and Scorpius awoke feeling decidedly nervous. There was no doubt in their minds that they each wanted to win, but what they weren't as sure about was whether they wanted the other one to lose. Still, they were excited about trying out their improved skill against each other on the field.

"Good luck, Albus! Good luck, Asher!" called Rose, Lily, Jerry, and Morgan as Albus left the Great Hall for the locker rooms with the rest of the team.

"Good luck Scorpius!" added Lily, waving to the blond as he followed his own team out of the door.

"Yeah, good luck," added the others to the Slytherin, "you're gonna need it!"

"Ha!" said Scorpius, smirking at them from across the room. "That's what you think!"

*****TTG*****

"Captains, shake hands," said Madam Hooch.

Fred and Flint stepped forward and shook hands icily.

Albus caught Scorpius's eye from behind the two captains' backs and grinned crookedly.

"_You're going down," _he mouthed.

"_In your dreams,"_ Scorpius mouthed back.

"Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch.

Albus and Scorpius threw their legs over their brooms and tensed their bodies. Madam Hooch blew her whistle and the fourteen players took off into the air. Albus and Scorpius shot higher than the rest of the players, circling over the pitch, watching for the telltale golden glint of the Snitch.

"Hey, Potter, you sure you can keep up with me up here?" Scorpius taunted in the classic Quidditch rival manner.

"Oh, I think so," said Albus carelessly. "Especially if you keep staring at me instead of looking for the Snitch."

Scorpius blushed furiously, but Albus had turned his broom toward the other end of the pitch and didn't see.

The game was hard and furious. At first the lead kept fluctuating between Gryffindor and Slytherin, never staying with either team long enough for anyone to relax. As the game went on, Gryffindor, proving itself the stronger team, slowly but surely began to pull ahead; still, their lead was not overly significant and it was becoming increasingly apparent that the fate of the game would rest almost solely on the teams' Seekers. This meant that for Albus and Scorpius the pressure was on.

Several times one or the other of them saw the Snitch, but it always disappeared before they could get to it, mostly due to some distraction provided by the other boy. Soon, both Seekers were panting and sweaty, flinging their hair out of their faces as they cast their eyes around for the illusive Golden Snitch. Scorpius caught himself several times watching the way Albus's muscles rippled under his Quidditch robes. For his part, Albus couldn't help, even in the middle of the match, admiring the way Scorpius's silvery blond hair stuck to his neck with sweat. He wished that _his _hair would stay that smooth and sleek while he was riding through the sky on a broom!

Scorpius succeeded in tricking Albus with the new feint, but Albus got back at him by executing a truly spectacular move that blocked the other boy from reaching the Snitch as it flashed by him in the air.

"Hey, get out of the way, Potter!" yelled Scorpius.

"Oops," said Albus cheekily.

Scorpius mentally cursed the other boy for being so damn good looking. Then he mentally cursed himself for having the thought.

Gryffindor was now ahead by thirty points; both teams were still going strong, but the players were beginning to tire. Asher scored again for Gryffindor, pulling their lead up to forty, but at the same time, Slytherin Beater Jude Pucker lobbed a Bludger at Damian Finnigan and James, the other two Gryffindor Chasers, causing them to break formation.

Then, suddenly, Albus saw the Snitch. It was making little darting circles around the Slytherin goalpost, about fifteen feet from the ground. Scorpius was closer to it, but he didn't seem to have seen it yet. Albus took half a second to weigh his options: he could either try to maneuver his way closer to it without alerting Scorpius, or he could make a dash for it and hope the Slytherin didn't catch up.

Scorpius made up his mind for him. Seeing the other boy's attention focus on the goalpost, he turned his gaze there as well and saw the small, fluttering golden ball circling it. Unlike Albus, he didn't hesitate, he simply took off in the direction of the Snitch. Cursing himself for giving up his advantage, Albus sped after him, hoping to overtake him before he reached the Snitch.

Pressing as far forward on his broom as he could, Albus managed to come up even with Scorpius. Now they were neck and neck, hurtling toward the goalpost and the Golden Snitch. When they were about five feet from it, it suddenly seemed to sense them and sped away from the post, in the direction of the open field. Albus and Scorpius gave chase, hurtling at breakneck speed and using all of their recently improved skill to maintain their speed while avoiding collisions with each other, the stands, Bludgers, and the other players. The two were so close to each other that neither of the teams could risk trying to unseat the other, for fear of hitting their own teammate by mistake. The entire stands, indeed, all the other players as well, froze in their seats, their eyes glued to the wild race taking place between the Snitch and the two Seekers. Albus and Scorpius chased the tiny, golden ball up and down the field, never losing track of it but never quite reaching it either. Neither of them knew whether the crowd was cheering wildly or dead silent; the only things they were aware of were the Snitch and each other.

The Snitch did a fancy loop-the-loop in midair, and the split-second delay was enough to give the two Seekers the advantage; taking both hands off their brooms, Albus and Scorpius, now just ten feet off the ground, leaned forward still further...grasped at the Snitch...and...

CRASH!

They collided with each other, their precariously mounted brooms tangling underneath them as they went down, their momentum carrying them into a hard landing on the grass below them.

"OOF!"

Scorpius felt dazed and disoriented. Blinking, he looked around. The first thing he saw was that he was lying sprawled in a very awkward position on top of Albus in the dirt and grass of the Quidditch pitch. Scrambling off hurriedly, the second thing he noticed was that Albus wasn't moving.

"Al? Al!" he said, trying to force down the panic that was threatening to rise in his throat.

He grabbed the dark-haired boy by the shoulders.

"Albus! Albus Severus Potter! Wake up, oh Merlin, please wake up!"

He reached his hand behind Albus's head and felt something sticky. His hand came away red with blood.

"Help!" he screamed. "Somebody help! He's hurt!"

Footsteps were pounding toward him, James, Fred, Madam Hooch, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor McGonagall surrounded Albus, blocking him from Scorpius's view.

"Oh God, oh God, oh God," he muttered. "Please let him be okay. Don't let me have hurt him badly. Don't let me have killed him! It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault..."

Everyone besides, ironically, Slytherin House, who were gathering around him in an excitement he couldn't understand, seemed to have forgotten his existence; everyone, that was, except for Albus's little sister Lily.

While everyone crowded around Albus, and Madam Pomfrey shooed them continuously back, she walked over to Scorpius, who was standing in the middle of the group of Slytherins, looking lost.

"Scorpius," said the small girl, walking fearlessly through the crowd of Slytherins and taking his hand. "Come on."

She pulled him toward Professor McGonagall, who was directing students back to the castle. She looked up as Scorpius and Lily approached.

"Mr. Malfoy," she said, frowning sternly at him. "You ought to be in the hospital wing after such a crash."

"I'm alright," he managed. "Albus...?"

"Mr. Potter will be fine," Professor McGonagall said. She placed a firm hand between his shoulder blades and propelled him forward. "Come along now."

"Malfoy! Scorpius Malfoy!" A large hand was clapped on his shoulder. "You did it!"

The Slytherin Quidditch team had followed him across the lawn. They were all beaming.

"Huh?"

"He doesn't even realize he's caught it," said Coran Parkinson, one of the Slytherin Beaters.

"Look in your hand, kid," advised Flint.

Scorpius looked. Clutched in the stiff, sweaty, dirt-streaked fingers of his right hand was a tiny, very crumpled, fluttering Golden Snitch.

**AN: So I didn't plan for the whole Quidditch accident thing, it just kind of happened and I went with it. I had a hard time deciding who would win the Cup, and I hope you forgive me for choosing Slytherin, but Scorpius deserved to win, don't you think? And sorry about the cliffie, okay not really, cliffies keep people reading, right? The chapter just decided to end there. It was very definite about it. Besides, it's all posted now, so you don't even have to wait. Lucky ducks.**

**Reviewing is not a requirement, but it sure is nice ;)**


	14. Will This Be How It Always Ends?

**Author's Note: Longest TTG Chapter yet! (though there are longer ones later) And I wrote it and about half of the one before it all in one sitting. I was on a roll. Then again, what else do you do while sitting in an airport and on a plane? The homework you didn't do during the week you just missed school? Surely not. :)**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: Once again, the only thing that's mine is my plot. And my OCs.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Will This Be How It Always Ends?**

"What happened?"

"He fainted."

"After they brought you up here."

"While McGonagall was bringing him, I heard."

"You heard? Were any of you there?"

"Er—no—"

"No one stayed with him?"

"We were worried about you!"

"_No one stayed with him?"_

"Lily did, I think. She came up with him at least."

"He fell too, you know! He could have been hurt! He could have—"

"Al, calm down, you'll hurt yourself—"

"Out, out, out, out! Visiting hours are over!"

Scorpius opened his eyes. Madam Pomfrey was ushering a small crowd of people through the door, but Scorpius only had eyes for one person—

"Al!"

Albus was sitting up in bed, a white bandage wrapped around his head.

"Scorp!"

Both boys yanked back their covers and leapt up, meeting halfway between the two beds in a fierce embrace.

"Albus, I'm so, so, _so_ sorry!" Scorpius started, almost sobbing as his hands traveled over Albus's arms and back, assuring himself that the Gryffindor was really there.

"Sorry?" said Albus in surprise, pulling back from the other boy but keeping a firm grip on his hands. "Whatever for?"

"For—for crashing into you, for hurting you for—" He reached up and touched the bandage on Albus's head.

"Scorp, don't be a ninny," said Albus. "_We_ crashed into _each other_. And it's nothing."

"When I saw—so much blood—" Scorpius swayed and Albus lowered him onto his bed, putting a firm arm around his shoulders. It was all Scorpius could do to resist the powerful urge to grab Albus right there and kiss him.

"It's a head wound," said Albus. "They always bleed a lot, even when they're not bad. I've got a concussion, but that's about it. You do too," he added. "Madam Pomfrey says we'll be out of here tomorrow though. Congratulations on winning the Cup, by the way."

"Please don't hate me," said Scorpius in a barely audible voice.

"What? Hate you? Scorpius, I'm _congratulating _you! You did a really good job out there today." He smiled, and Scorpius smiled back at him.

"You really mean that? You're not mad at me for winning?"

"Mad at you for winning? Scorpius, don't be ridiculous. You deserve that Cup."

"Thanks."

Albus looked down from his friend's face and suddenly stopped cold. On the exposed skin of Scorpius's pale arms he could see several new parallel cuts running crosswise on the Slytherin's arm.

"Scorpius..." he said dangerously.

"What?" said Scorpius, confused.

"What is this?" He grabbed the other boy's arms and turned them into the light. The angry red cuts stood out vividly against the white skin.

Scorpius swallowed, all the blood draining out of his face. "I—I—I—"

"You told me you'd stop. You promised me you'd stop!"

"It's not what you think!" said Scorpius. "I wasn't trying to kill myself! I don't want to die anymore, I don't!"

"Then what _were_ you doing?"

"I—you wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"It helps, okay? When things get—bad. It takes the pain away."

"How can hurting yourself take the pain away?"

"It's a—a release I guess, I don't know. Physical pain is so much easier to deal with. Besides, I don't feel it anymore."

"What kind of things?" said Albus.

_Nott and Goyle_ he thought. _And you. You, when you touch me like you're touching me now...and I want you, I _want_ you..._

"Well?" said Albus impatiently

"Just—just things, okay?"

"No," said Albus. "It's _not_ okay. Whatever it is—if it's Nott and Goyle, or your other house-mates, or—or whatever. You come talk to me. I don't care what time it is or where we are. If you feel like you're going to cut yourself talk to me—or to Rose, or even Lily or James or _someone_. I don't want to see any new cuts on your arms. Do you understand?"

Scorpius looked into Albus's green eyes and nodded.

"Yes," he said quietly. "I understand. I'm sorry."

"Shhh," said Albus more gently. "Forget about what we were in the past. I'm your best friend now, remember? Nothing can change that."

And Scorpius wished with all his heart that he could believe it.

*****TTG*****

Albus and Scorpius were indeed released from the hospital wing the next day. Scorpius, to his utter amazement, was hailed as something of a hero in Slytherin House. Sure, there were some people who still didn't like him, but most of those who had simply ignored his presence before were now giving him high-fives and slaps on the back. Slytherin had not won the Quidditch Cup for five years in a row, and the older students assured Scorpius that his spectacular catch would go down in House history. This new attention from his house-mates had another definite upside as well. When no one paid any attention to him, it was easy for Nott and Goyle to corner him. Now, with the other Slytherins actually noticing him, it was a lot harder for them to torment him without attracting attention. Even as the Quidditch Cup mania died down and his house-mates stopped high-fiving him whenever he entered the common room, there was much more of an air of geniality between himself and the rest of the Slytherins than there had been before the match.

Now that the Quidditch season had come to an end, there was only one more significant thing to happen before term ended: Exams. These were not something to look forward to, unless you were Rose, but they were something to be taken seriously. Albus and Scorpius's joint Quidditch practices were replaced by joint study sessions, often accompanied by Rose, who quizzed them mercilessly on everything from Transfiguration to Ancient Runes.

As exam week drew ever nearer, Scorpius became increasingly stressed out and tense, a state which was not helped by a letter which he received from his father a week before the first examination.

_Dear Scorpius,_

_I hope that you are doing well. Congratulations on the Quidditch Cup, that is something _

_a father can be proud of. I know that your examinations are coming up, and I trust you are studying _

_hard. I expect nothing less than the excellent marks I know you are capable of. Your mother sends her love._

_-Father_

"Relax, Scorp," said Albus, gently prying Scorpius's fingers out of his long, blond hair." You're smart. You'll do great."

"But what if I don't?" moaned Scorpius. "He'll be so disappointed!"

"He didn't say that."

"He implied it!"

"Your father is proud of you, Scorp," said Albus. "He said so. You are not a disappointment. Let's take a break. We can go down to the kitchens and get snacks from the house-elves. All you have to do is tickle the pear. James told me, he goes all the time."

Despite these reassurance, Scorpius frantic energy was matched only by Rose's by the time exam week rolled around. Doing his best to keep both his best friend and his cousin from a nervous collapse, Albus bid Scorpius good luck and walked with Rose to their first exam, which happened to be Defense Against the Dark Arts.

*****TTG*****

Albus was confident that all three of them had done well on their exams, though he had a sneaking suspicion that Scorpius and Rose had done rather better than he had. They each only had one exam left, Potions for Albus and Rose and Charms for Scorpius, and then they would be free.

Scorpius came out of the Charms exam looking relieved.

"I think I did well," he announced.

Albus rolled his eyes. "Scorp, you're the best at Charms in our year! Better than Rose! _Of course_ you did well!"

"Really, better than Rose?" Scorpius asked.

"You scored higher than her on the last essay, didn't you?"

"Only because I had done some background reading on the subject before we even studied it," protested Scorpius. "I didn't know nearly enough about mood-changing Charms just now though," he added worriedly.

"Me neither!" said Rose, coming over. "On question twelve, what did you say it was? Because I thought the answer was d, but now I think maybe I should have chosen a because—"

"Urgh!" moaned James, walking by. "It's bad enough having to take the exams once without having to relive them afterwards."

*****TTG*****

The next day the students of Hogwarts packed up their trunks and boarded the Hogwarts Express, ready to head home for the summer. Albus was excited for the holidays, but he noticed that Scorpius was looking a little glum.

"Hey Scorp, what's up?" he asked as the two boys seated themselves in an empty compartment on the train. "Aren't you looking forward to the holidays and seeing your mum and dad?"

"Yeah," said Scorpius. "I am, really, it's just—"

"What?"

"It's gonna be kind of lonely is all."

"Lonely? How so?"

"Well, Mother and and Father are pretty busy, especially Father. I didn't mind it so much before, 'cause I didn't have friends at school anyway. But I've gotten used to you and Rose and Lily and everyone..." said Scorpius, hoping his real reason for not wanting to part from Albus wasn't blatantly apparent.

"Oh, Scorp, I'll miss you too!" said Albus.

"Really?"

"Of course, you ninny!" Albus thought for a moment. "I know! You can come over to my house during the holidays! I'm sure Mum and Dad won't mind. I'll ask them and sent you a letter as soon as I can, alright? That is...if you want to come?"

"If I—yes I want to come!" said Scorpius. "Are you really inviting me? Only—I don't know if Father'll let me..."

"Your dad knows we're friends, right? He's known all term. He _has_ to let you come! I'll talk to my parents. This is gonna be so awesome!"

Scorpius grinned in spite of himself.

*****TTG*****

When the train finally pulled into Platform 9 ¾, the two boys spotted their families standing at opposite ends of the platform.

"I'll write to you as soon as I know, okay?" said Albus, hugging his friend tightly and making Scorpius's heart thud so loud Scorpius was sure Albus must be able to hear it.

"Okay," said Scorpius.

"See you soon!" said Albus, waving as he lugged his trunk toward his waiting parents.

"Bye, Al!" said Scorpius, waving madly himself. Around him he could hear the chorus of "See you next year, Al!" from Albus's other friends.

Scorpius lugged his trunk through the crowd until he came to his parents, standing a little bit apart from the other waiting families at the far end of the platform.

"Hello, Mother. Hello, Father," he said

His mother bend down and gave him a quick hug. "How are you, Scorpius, darling?" she asked.

"Good," he said, smiling a little.

"Who were you waving goodbye to?" she asked.

"Albus," said Scorpius. "You know, my friend who was in the hospital wing when..."

Both of his parents shifted uncomfortably.

His father coughed. "Potter, is it?" he said. "Still friends with him, are you?"

"Yes," said Scorpius. "He's really nice," he added lamely.

"I see..." said Draco. "Let's go, then."

Albus, meanwhile, joined the sea of Potters and Weasleys headed toward their respective parents. Unlike the Malfoys, the Potters and Weasleys were right in the middle of a great crowd of other families, many of whom were shooting them awed or admiring looks, which they studiously ignored as they watched their children disembark from the train.

"James! Albus! Lily!" said their parents, swooping them up into a big hug, which James promptly squirmed out of.

"How was term?" asked their mother, Ginny

"Good," said Lily, grinning. "A lot happened!"

"Oh?" said Ginny, cocking an eyebrow. "What kind of a lot?"

Albus silenced his sister with a look.

"Er—you know, school stuff," she added hastily.

James opened his mouth, but Albus kicked him in the shin.

"Ow!"

"Al, don't kick your brother," Ginny admonished.

"Dad," said Albus, turning to his father, Harry Potter, "can I have a friend over to stay during the holidays?"

Harry laughed. "You've just gotten off the train and you're already asking about having a friend to stay? Don't you want to spend time with your family?"

"Oh, yes," said Albus. "But I really want my friend to come over to stay too, can't he Dad?"

"Who is it?" asked Harry. "Asher? Jerry?"

"No-o..." said Albus. "He's a new friend."

"Well, we'll see," said Harry. "Let's at least get home before we talk about it, okay?"

"Alright," said Albus. "But I won't forget."

"I know you won't," said Harry. "You're like an elephant."

"Huh?" said Albus.

"It's a Muggle expression," said his Aunt Hermione from his father's other side.

"So, who is this new friend you're so eager to have over here?" said Harry, sitting down with his children and wife after dinner that night.

"Er—" said Albus, wondering why he was suddenly so nervous. "It's—er—Scorpius Malfoy."

Harry paused with his glass of firewhiskey halfway to his mouth and Ginny dropped the plate she was holding on the floor.

Oh. This was why.

"What?"

"Scorpius Malfoy," repeated Albus.

"_Malfoy?"_ said Harry, as Ginny quickly repaired the shattered plate with a flick of her wand. "I thought you two were arch rivals."

"We were—that is—we used to be—before—"

"Before what?"

"Before Malfoy tried to kill himself," said James quietly.

"_What?"_ The plate clattered to the floor again.

Slowly, with each Potter child telling bits and pieces of the story, the whole thing was explained to their bewildered parents.

"Let me get this straight," said Harry, rubbing his temples with his fingertips. "You want to invite Scorpius Malfoy—the gay, mentally unstable son of my schoolday enemy—to spend part of his summer here? In my house?"

"Oh, Dad," said Albus, "don't say it like that! That's not who Scorpius is at all. He's so—so—"

"Beautiful," supplied Lily.

"Yes—" said Albus. "And smart, and kind, and fun, and fragile... Dad, he needs me. He's my best friend. He never had any friends before me. He gets beat up by kids in his own house."

"What makes you think Draco will even let him come here?" said Ginny.

"I met Scorpius's father—Draco—in the hospital wing after—after Scorpius's—er—accident..."

"You mean Draco knows that the two of you are friends and I don't?"

"I didn't mean to keep it from you Dad, honest," said Albus. "I just never got around to telling you."

"Please let him come," added Lily. "I like him."

Harry and Ginny looked at each other, at their children's hopeful, pleading faces, and then back at each other.

"A-alright..." said Harry. "You can write to Mal—to Scorpius."

"You're not sleeping in the same bed though, when he's here." Ginny added firmly.

Albus blushed. "Mum! Just 'cause he's gay doesn't mean we're—you know, like _that_!"

"Tell him he can come for two weeks starting next Thursday," said Ginny.

"Thanks Mum, thanks Dad!" said Albus, beaming. "I'll go write to him right now!" And he bounded off up the stairs two at a time.

*****TTG*****

_Scorpius,_

_Mum and Dad said yes! They said you can come and stay for two weeks starting next Thursday. I hope your dad lets you come, Lily and James are looking forward to your visit too. Sent me a reply as soon as you can. I think my dad's going to write your dad as well with a more formal invitation. I miss you already._

_Your friend,_

_Albus_

*****TTG*****

_To Draco and Astoria Malfoy,_

_Apparently, my son Albus and your son Scorpius have struck up a friendship during this last year at school. From what I hear from Albus, it has been a hard year for your family and your son, and my wife and I express our deepest sympathies. I hope you will put aside any bad feelings between us and allow your son to come and stay with us for two weeks starting next Thursday so that the boys can see each other. I await your reply._

_Sincerely,_

_Harry James Potter_

*****TTG*****

_Dear Albus_

_Father got your Dad's letter. He's thinking it over right now, but I hope he will say yes. I think Mother is going to try to talk him around. I will write to you again as soon as I know for sure._

_Your friend,_

_Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy_

*****TTG*****

_Scorp,_

_Crossing my fingers that your Dad says yes! I miss you more every day. I can't believe we've only been friends for one term, I feel like I've known you for ever. Tell me as soon as you know, okay? I can't take the suspense!_

_-Al_

*****TTG*****

_To Harry Potter,_

_After much consideration on the part of my wife and I, we have decided to allow our son, Scorpius, to visit you and your son during the specified period of time. We will arrive at ten-thirty in the morning._

_I hold you no grudge for what may or may not have gone on during our schooldays, and I feel that the friendship between our sons has been beneficial. I trust that you will take utmost care of my only heir._

_Until Thursday._

_Sincerely,_

_Draco Malfoy_

*****TTG*****

_Albus,_

_Father said yes! He has just written your parents. See you at ten thirty on Thursday morning, I can't wait!_

_-Scorpius_

**AN: I hope you liked the letters at the end. I'm kind of a fan of parts of stories being told through letters myself.**

**-SQ**


	15. Don't Go Blaming Fate Or Chance

**Author's Note: I apologize for any errors, but there should be a lot less now that I've gone back through and fixed things.**

**-SQ**

**Chapter Fifteen: Don't Go Blaming Fate or Chance**

For Albus and Scorpius it felt as though Thursday would never arrive, for their parents it felt as though it was racing toward them like a speeding train.

Draco shut himself up in his study and only came out for meals and when he went to bed.

Astoria kept asking Scorpius if he was _sure_ he had packed everything he needed to go to the Potters'?

Ginny went on a cleaning rampage, much to the dismay of Albus, James, and Lily, whom she enlisted to help her scrub Grimmauld Place from top to bottom.

Harry worked longer hours at the Auror office so that he could take Thursday and Friday off and be home when Scorpius arrived.

Albus's Uncle Ron didn't help matters by suddenly Apparating into their dining room one evening during dinner and exclaiming, "You invited _who_ to your house?"

"Scorpius Malfoy," sighed Harry tiredly.

"Are you off your rocker?" said Ron. "Malfoy's kid in your house?"

"He's—er—friends with Al," said Harry.

"Ron," admonished Ginny, waving a spoon at him in a very good imitation of their mother. "It's my and Harry's business who we invite into this house, and if you don't watch yourself you might just find yourself removed from that list."

"But—but—" Ron spluttered. "Malfoy—?"

"Uncle Ron," said Albus, "Scorpius is my best friend. I know I hated him before, but once I got to know him he's really great. Ask Rose or Hugo."

"Rose or Hugo?" said Ron. "They're friends with Malfoy too?"

Albus nodded.

"Ronald Weasley!"

Albus's Aunt Hermione had just Apparated into the room.

"How dare you come over here to Harry and Ginny's dining room and interrupt their dinner?"

"Hermione," said Ron weakly. "Scorpius Malfoy—"

"Is coming to visit for two weeks," said Hermione. "So I've heard. I admit it's rather shocking, but it's certainly no reason to lose your head."

"James, Albus, Lily, go clean your rooms," said Ginny.

"Mum, you made us clean them yesterday!" said James.

"Well, clean them again then," said Ginny firmly. "Go on."

Scowling, the three Potter children left the dining room.

"Have you got any extendable ears?" Albus asked James.

"No," said James resentfully. "Mum confiscated them all."

"Harry, do you know that the Malfoy kid tried to commit suicide last year?" said Ron once the children were out of earshot.

"Yes," said Harry.

"He's obviously mentally disturbed. And with Malfoy as his dad... Aren't you worried about the influence a kid like that is going to have on Albus?"

"Yes," said Harry again. "I am. But what am I supposed to do? I can't keep them apart when they're at school. I can't stop them from being friends. At least this way I can meet the Malfoy boy."

Ron sighed. "I guess you're right. I just never thought I'd see the day when our children were _friends_ with a Malfoy."

*****TTG*****

*Rap. Rap. Rap.*

Lily, who had been kneeling on the living room couch, peering out of the window, whirled around.

"They're here!"

A great thump was heard from somewhere upstairs, and then Albus came running into view, taking the steps two at a time. He skidded to a halt at the foot of the steps as his father opened the front door.

"Mr. Malfoy."

"Mr. Potter."

The two men stood on either side of the doorway, looking at each other awkwardly.

Albus looked past Mr. Malfoy and saw Scorpius leaning around his father, an anxious look on his face. He broke into a relieved, nervous grin when he saw Albus.

"Er—why don't you come in?" said Harry stiffly, stepping back to let the two Malfoys through the door.

As soon as their fathers had stepped out of the way, Albus and Scorpius ran at each other, hugging tightly and quickly before pulling back with big, goofy grins on their faces.

"Scorp! How are you?"

"Er—okay—pretty good... How about you?" said Scorpius, looking around awkwardly.

"Good," said Albus. "I—"

"Scorpius, take off your coat and take your things."

"Oh, hi—I mean, hello Mr. Malfoy," said Albus, remembering his manners. "We've met before. I'm Albus Potter." He extended a hand that Draco Malfoy ignored. "Dad," he said, turning to Harry. "This is Scorpius."

"Er—hello Mr. Potter."

Harry scrutinized the boy, taking in the fine, white-blond hair, pale skin, and light gray eyes. The young Malfoy was nearly a carbon copy of his father, except that he looked somehow softer and less snobbish.

"Hello Scorpius," said Harry.

Just then Ginny entered the entry hall, followed by James and Lily.

"Hello, Mr. Malfoy," said Ginny, shaking his hand briefly. "It's—er—good to see you... This must be Scorpius, pleased to meet you, dear."

"Hello Mrs. Potter," said Scorpius.

"Scorp!" Lily squealed, hugging him tightly around the middle.

"Hey, Lily," said Scorpius, laughing a little. "It's good to see you too."

"Hey, Scorpius," said James, giving him a jaunty salute.

Scorpius nodded to him.

"Albus," said Ginny, "why don't you show Scorpius up to your room?"

"Aright," said Albus, taking Scorpius's free hand. "Come on Scorp."

"I'm gonna show you my room too," said Lily, as both she and James followed Albus and Scorpius upstairs.

The adults watched their children ascend the staircase before turning back to each other.

"Er—" said Harry.

"Thank you for inviting Scorpius to stay with you," Draco cut in, somewhat stiffly. "He is very excited."

"Yeah, so is Albus," said Harry, giving Draco a strained smile.

Draco did not return the smile, but he did appear to relax slightly.

"We will take very good care of your son, Draco," said Ginny, a tone of gentle understanding in her otherwise guarded voice.

"Thank you Mrs.—Ginny," said Draco. "I had better be going."

"Er—see you later...Draco," said Harry.

"You too, Potter," said Draco stiffly, before stepping out of the door and Apparating away.

*****TTG*****

"You can dump your stuff here," said Albus, motioning to the second bed that his mother had put into his room.

"Thanks," said Scorpiu, dropping his bag on the bed and looking around at Albus's room. It was very Albus, he thought. The walls were painted a soft yellow color that somehow managed to not look feminine and the floor was carpeted in blue plush. A large, red-trimmed, wide-silled window look out on a medium-sized yard out back, kitty-corner from a four poster bed with red and gold hangings. A second bed had been placed on the opposite side of the room, right next to a door that opened into a very messy closet.

"Oops," said Albus, quickly slamming the closet door shut. "Sorry about that. Mum made me clean my room before you came and I kind of just shoved it all in there."

Scorpius laughed. "My Father would kill me if I did that."

"Yeah, well, Mum doesn't know, does she?" said Albus with a grin.

There was a pounding on the bedroom door.

"_A-Al!"_ said Lily's voice. "Are you gonna keep Scorp in there all day or do we get to see him too? We should show him around the house, he _is_ gonna be staying here for two weeks!"

Albus rolled his eyes. "Just a minute Lil! Can't you even wait for him to put his stuff down? She's so impatient sometimes," he said to Scorpius. "Come on, I'll give you the 'Grand Tour'"

Albus opened the door, causing Lily to almost fall into his bedroom.

"Out," he said.

She stuck out her tongue at him.

"Come on Scorp," she said, grabbing his hand. "I'll show you my room first."

"Your room is at the other end of the hall, moron," said James, coming up the stairs. "Ever heard of doing things in order?"

"I am not a moron!" said Lily.

"Really?" said James. "'Cause that's news to me..."

"_Anyways,"_ interjected Albus. "The bathroom is here, toilet, shower, sink, etc, not very exciting. My mum and dad's room is here. And this is just a closet."

"Here's my room," said James, pointing to a door bearing a sign reading, 'Do Not Enter: on penalty of serious Marauding.' "You're not allowed in," he added unnecessarily.

"Marauding?" said Scorpius.

"Like the Maurader's Map," Albus explained. "Our granddad and his friends called themselves the Marauders. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Their nicknames came from their Animagus forms."

"Unregistered," added James with a smirk. "Prongs was James Potter the first, he turned into a stag. And Padfoot was Sirius Black. He was a dog. This is his old room," he added proudly. "Al got his evil Death Eater git of a younger brother's room."

"Hey! He changed his mind in the end!" protested Albus.

"Sirius was still _way_ cooler," said James.

"You only say that 'cause you were named after him. At least I got to decorate my room how I pleased. You've still got Sirius's old permanently stuck posters."

"I _like_ Sirius's old posters," said James haughtily.

"Er—if your granddad was Prongs and Sirius Black was Padfoot, who were...Moony and Wormtail, did you say?" said Scorpius, anxious to change the subject away from Death Eaters and their Lord.

"Yeah," said Albus. "Moony was our cousin Teddy's dad. He wasn't an Animagus."

"But I thought you said—"

"He was a werewolf," said Lily

Scorpius's eyes widened.

"And Wormtail was a stupid git who betrayed our grandparents to Voldemort," said James, scowling.

Scorpius shifted uncomfortably, all this talk of Death Eaters and such was venturing into places he'd rather not go, especially with Harry Potter's kids.

Understanding his friend's discomfort, Albus said, "Come on, Scorp, I'll show you the rest of the house."

_*****_TTG_*****_

"So, Scorpius," said James, spooning a large helping of chicken casserole onto his plate, "how's your summer going so far?"

"Fairly well," said Scorpius.

"What have you been doing?" said Albus.

"My mother's family visited last week."

"Would you like some more casserole, Scorpius?" said Ginny.

"Oh, no thank you, Mrs. Potter," said Scorpius. "It was very good, but I'm quite full."

Overall it was a rather uncomfortable dinner. Albus tried to act normally, chatting with Scorpius and his parents and siblings, but Scorpius remained very quiet, speaking only when spoken to, and then only what needed to be said in the most polite manner possible. Albus's parents kept shooting sidelong glances at Scorpius and James kept shooting sidelong glances at _them_. The only person who seemed completely at ease and oblivious to the tension at the dinner table was Lily, who prattled on about this, that, and the other like usual while everyone else nodded along distractedly.

When everyone had finished eating, and the dishes were busy washing themselves in the sink, Albus and Scorpius went back up to Albus's room.

"It's okay, my parents'll warm up to you," Albus reassured his friend as they climbed the stairs. "They're just a little—unsure, with us having been enemies before and your dad being who he is and all."

"Is that all they're unsure about?" said Scorpius quietly.

"What do you mean?" said Albus, opening his bedroom door and crossing to the shelves on the far wall.

"Do they know I tried to kill myself? Do they know I'm gay?"

Albus turned around, a Exploding Snap box in his hand.

"Yes," he admitted.

"Why did you tell them?" said Scorpius, an edge of anger in his voice.

"Well, I was trying to explain how it is we're friends now when we used to hate each other's guts and it just sort of...came out."

"It just...came out," repeated Scorpius. "They won't tell me parents, will they?" he said, suddenly on he verge of panic.

"No, of course not," said Albus. "Our parents don't even talk. Besides, my mum and dad wouldn't do that." He hesitated. "I think _you_ should tell your parents though."

"No," said Scorpius flatly. "There's absolutely no reason to tell them."

His tone was so final that Albus let the subject drop.

"Come on, let's see if James and Lily want to play Exploding Snap."

*****TTG*****

"I've never slept over at anyone else's house before," said Scorpius, as he came back into Albus's room after changing into his pajamas.

Albus was wearing his pajamas too, a cute blue-and-white striped pair with matching slippers.

"Really?" he said. "Never?"

Scorpius shook his head.

"How come?"

"Mother and Father a little bit protective I guess, with me being an only child and all. And I never really had any friends whose houses I wanted to spend the night at anyway."

"Well," said Albus, "we're gonna have the best two weeks _ever_!"

Albus's grin was infectious and Scorpius grinned back. He was still feeling decidedly nervous—the prospect of spending two weeks with Albus was as terrifying as it was wonderful—but Albus's optimism was starting to rub off on him, at least a very little bit.

James appeared in the doorway, also dressed in pajamas.

"What do you want James?" said Albus.

"Nothing," said James innocently.

"Then get out of my room."

"Can't a big brother come in and tell his widdle bruder nighty night?" said James in a high pitched baby voice.

"Piss off," said Albus.

"Boys!" Ginny called up the stairs. "Are you in bed?"

"James isn't!" said Albus.

"Yes I am!" yelled James.

"You'd better be," said Ginny as they heard her start to climb the stairs.

"Traitor!" James hissed at Albus before running back to his own bedroom.

Ginny stuck her head into Albus's bedroom.

"Good night, Albus," she said. "Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite."

"_Mu-um!"_ complained Albus as she flicked off the light and shut the door. Then, "G'night Scorp," he said into the darkness.

"'Night Al," said Scorpius.

*****TTG*****

Scorpius was cornered. He could feel the icy wall pressed up against his back, a sharp contrast to the hot, foul breath that was being blown into his face. He turned his head away, but hard, thin fingers wrenched it back. Nott leered down at him, caressing his cheek.

Goyle pinned down Scorpius's arms and Nott stepped back, a sadistic gleam in his eyes as he flexed his long fingers.

Scorpius shut his eyes tightly, focusing on the pain Goyle was inflicting on his arms until he was ready to scream...

"Scorp! Scorpius! Scorpius Malfoy!"

Albus kneeled beside his friend on the bed, gripping his shoulders as he tried to shake him awake. Scorpius screamed louder and clawed at Albus's hands.

"Scorpius!" said Albus again, grabbing the blond's hands in his own. "Scorp, it's me! It's only a dream! Wake up!"

Scorpius opened his eyes and looked up at Albus, disoriented.

"What—?"

"You were having a nightmare," said Albus, helping Scorpius sit up. "Are you okay? You're shaking."

"Yeah..." said Scorpius, "I'm fine..." Albus pressed a glass of water into his hands. "Thanks..."

Albus sat up on his knees and peered into the other boy's face. Scorpius was as white as a sheet. Albus pressed a hand against Scorpius sweaty forehead.

"Do you feel sick?" he asked worriedly. "You haven't got a temperature..."

"No," said Scorpius. "No, I'm fine. It was just a dream."

"Sounded like a pretty bad one," said Albus. He reached out and put a hand on Scorpius's shoulder. Scorpius flinched back.

"Sorry," said Albus.

"No, I'm sorry," said Scorpius. "It's just...can you not touch me right now?"

"Okay," said Albus, sitting back a bit, his face falling. It was his natural instinct to touch people to make them feel better; he felt so helpless when he couldn't, and as though he had done something wrong, though logically he knew he hadn't.

"Al..." said Scorpius. "Al, don't look like that." He laid his hand over Albus's. "I'm glad you're here, really. I just—need a little space, okay?"

"I know," said Albus. "I understand."

Scorpius squeezed his hand. "Go back to bed. I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

Albus got up and, throwing one last look at Scorpius, crawled back into his own bed.

Scorpius lay back down, breathing heavily. How could Albus's touch both arouse and repulse him at the same time? It was so different from Nott and Goyle, and yet Scorpius couldn't help thinking about them whenever Albus got that close to him. He shuddered. Why had he agreed to spend two weeks living in the same house, sleeping in the same _room_, as Albus? This was never going to work.

**AN: So I didn't really mean to put so much of myself into Al, but it just kind of happened. The thing about touching people to comfort them is exactly me. I've been through that scene with my friends. And a lot of other things about Al are like me too, like the slight obliviousness, and being the person in the middle trying to avoid the conflict.**

**Also, if anyone caught Ron's little bit of bad grammar, that was intentional. Not that it's important.**

**Anyways, though of course it isn't strictly necessary, I would love it if you could review. Praise, questions, comments, constructive criticism, whatever. I like getting them. :)**

**-SQ**


	16. Tired of Staying in Control

**Author's Note: This is a really important chapter, the end is one of the most important scenes in the whole story and was kind of difficult to write correctly, even though it had been in my head forever. Enjoy!**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: As hard as it is to believe, no, I do not, in fact, own Harry Potter or the song "Turn to Gold"**

**Chapter Sixteen: Tired of Staying in Control**

The next day was pretty low-key. Albus and Scorpius slept in late, after which Albus went down to breakfast in his pajamas. Scorpius, feeling self-conscious, got dressed before he followed Albus downstairs. After breakfast, which, since it took place at eleven o'clock in the morning, was really more like lunch, the two boys sat around the house playing Wizards' Chess, Gobstones, and Exploding Snap, eating the cookies that Ginny had made, and in general letting Scorpius get used to staying with the Potters.

That night Scorpius, afraid of having another nightmare, waited until he heard Albus's breathing become slow and regular and then cast a Silencing Charm around his bed. So when he dreamed about being kissed by Albus, who suddenly turned into a great black serpent with Nott's eyes and began chasing him, Albus was none the wiser.

*****TTG*****

"Hey, get up sleepyhead!" said Albus, landing on Scorpius's bed and canceling the motion-deactivated Silencing Charm.

Scorpius, who had not had the most restful night's sleep, groaned and pulled the pillow over his head, trying to block out the light and Albus's voice.

"Come _on _Scorp!" said Albus. "Get _up_! Do I have to drag you out of bed?"

He grabbed Scorpius by the arms and pulled him off the bed. Scorpius tried to hold onto the covers and mattress, but they blankets just slid right off with him, and the two boys landed in a head on the floor, tangled in a mass of blankets.

"Okay, okay!" said Scorpius, laughing. "I'm up! What's so important?"

"My cousins are coming over today," said Al, standing up and offering his hand to Scorpius.

Scorpius took the proffered hand, but instead of standing up, he pulled Albus back down to the floor.

"Ooof!" said Albus, landing on top of Scorpius. "What did you do that for?"

Scorpius's breath caught. Albus's lips were just inches from his, his green eyes reflecting Scorpius's gray ones. Feeling suddenly far too hot, Scorpius quickly extricated himself from Albus.

"Your cousins?" he asked, standing up and putting the blankets back on the bed to avoid looking at Albus.

"Yeah," said Albus, confused by the sudden shift in mood. "You know, Rose, Hugo, Fred, Roxanne, Lucy, Molly, Domi, Louis, and Victoire, Domi and Louis' older sister. And my god-brother Teddy, he's Domi's boyfriend too."

"_All_ of those people are coming?" said Scorpius.

"Yeah," said Albus. "And my uncles and aunts."

"Will they all _fit_?" said Scorpius.

"Yeah," said Albus. "Barely, but yeah."

"Is there some sort of special occasion?" questioned Scorpius.

"Nah," said Albus. "They just wanna come over. Come on, let's get dressed."

Twenty minutes later Albus, Scorpius, James, and Lily were sitting in the kitchen finishing their toast.

"People should start arriving any minute now," said Ginny. "Albus, go wait by the door. Lily, you can help me in here. James, go get your father down here and then you can join Albus."

They heard the doorbell ring.

"Go!" said Ginny to Albus.

Albus grabbed Scorpius by the hand and pulled him along behind him to the door.

A tall red-headed man with a badly scarred face and possibly the most beautiful woman Scorpius had ever seen (he could still appreciate beauty in women, even if he wasn't attracted to them) entered the house, followed by Domi, Louis, an older girl just as tall and blond as Domi, and a rather gangly young man with spiky, brilliantly purple hair.

"Albus," said the scarred man.

"Hello Uncle Bill," said Albus.

"'E is so tall!" exclaimed the beautiful woman.

Albus rolled his eyes.

"Al!"

"Teddy!"

Albus's face broke into a giant grin and he hugged the purple-haired young man fiercely.

"Hey, how've you been, little man?" said Teddy, ruffling Albus's hair.

"Pretty good," said Albus. "How about you?"

"Same," said Teddy with a grin. "I missed you though."

"I missed you too!"

"Hey Al," said Domi and Louis. "Oh, hi Scorpius," they added.

"Hi," said Scorpius.

Albus's aunt's, uncle's, god-brother's, and other cousin's attention all turned to Scorpius.

"Ah," said Bill. "This must be Scorpius Malfoy." His tone sounded neutral.

"Yes," said Albus. "This is my best friend Scorpius."

"Louis and Dominique 'ave told us about you," said the beautiful woman.

"Scorp, this is my Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur," said Albus. "And my cousin Victoire and my god-brother Teddy."

"Hey," said Teddy, smiling at him.

Just then the doorbell rang again.

"Oh, I'll get that," said Albus. "Mum's in the kitchen, Dad should be down in a minute."

Albus opened the door again. This time it was his Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, and cousins Roxanne and Fred.

"Hey there, Albus, hi Scorpius," said Fred.

"Hello, sport," said George.

Albus again made the introductions.

"So this is the youngest Malfoy..." was all George said before going into the kitchen.

Albus's Uncle Percy, Aunt Audrey, and cousins Molly and Lucy were the next to arrive. All four of them made their way into the kitchen after they greeting Albus and the rest of the family members still in the entry hall.

"Al! Don't hog Teddy all to yourself!" said James, running in from the kitchen.

"James!" said Teddy, giving the younger boy a bear hug.

"I just escaped from the grown-ups," James explained.

"I'm a grown-up," Teddy pointed out.

"You don't count!" said Albus.

"Gee, thanks," said Teddy, grinning.

"Teddy."

Harry was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"Harry," said Teddy, grinning wider as his godfather hugged him.

"Let's go into the living room," suggested Harry. "Everyone will fit there."

"Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione and Rose and Hugo aren't here yet," said Albus.

"Why aren't I surprised that Ron's late?" said Harry with a laugh. "You can wait for them and tell them to come into the living room when they get here, okay Al?"

"Alright Dad."

Everyone except for Albus and Scorpius made their way into the living room.

"Is your uncle Ron usually late?" asked Scorpius.

Albus laughed. "'Usually' is an understatement. He—"

Albus was interrupted as the bell rang once again.

"That must be them," said Albus, going to open the door.

"Hey, Al" said Rose, coming into the house first and giving Albus a hug. "Hi Scorp."

"Hi," replied the two boys, as Rose's parents and brother followed her in.

"Everyone's in the living room," said Albus.

"Okay, come on Ron, Hugo, Rose," said Hermione.

But Ron didn't move. He was staring at Scorpius.

"He looks just like his father," he said. His tone was not warm.

"Uncle Ron," said Albus firmly, as Hermione gave her husband a warning look. "This is my friend Scorpius Malfoy."

Scorpius stared back at the tall red-headed man. _Ron Weasley_ his mind told him. His father didn't have a particularly high opinion of the man.

"Er—hello," said Ron, very stiffly.

"Hello," said Hermione, more kindly.

"Hello," said Scorpius.

"Come on," said Albus. "Let's go into the living room. We're missing all the fun."

*****TTG*****

"Hey, who wants to play Quidditch?" asked Fred a few hours later, when the younger members of the Potter/Weasley family were beginning to grow bored and restless.

"Yeah!" said James enthusiastically. "Let's do kids versus adults."

"What qualifies as an adult?" asked Teddy.

"It'll have to be seventeen and older," said Harry. "There aren't enough Quidditch playing adults otherwise."

They divided into teams.

The adults' team consisted of George and his son Fred as Beaters, Teddy (who was enthusiastic but rather clumsy), Ginny, and Angelina as Chasers, Ron as Keeper, and Harry as Seeker.

The kids' team consisted of Roxanne and Hugo as Beaters, Dominique as Keeper, and Lily and James as two of the Chasers, but then they ran into a problem. Who was going to play Seeker, Scorpius or Albus? They finally decided that Albus would play Seeker for the first game and Scorpius for the second one.

Hermione and Percy, who were very good at this kind of thing, if not very good at Quidditch, transfigured various objects into a Quaffle, a Snitch, and two Bludgers, and then the game began.

It was very poorly organized, but quite fun. The adults had experience on their side, (well, apart from Teddy), but the kids had youth, and each team ended up winning one game. Albus was _very _excited when he caught the Snitch before his father.

Finally the adults, pleading old age, brought an end to the play and all of the visitors went home, promising that they would all see each other soon.

*****TTG*****

"James, Albus, Lily, Scorpius," said Ginny, surveying her three children and their friend. "You are covered in mud. "You will not set foot in any part of this house that you don't need to to get to the bathroom until you have taken a shower."

"Yes Mum," chorused the three Potters.

"Yes, Mrs. Potter," said Scorpius.

"Off you go then," said Ginny.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place had three bathrooms, one on each floor. James, pushing past his little brother and sister, claimed the first floor bathroom, and Lily took the second. That left the top floor for Albus and Scorpius.

Since he was the host, Albus let Scorpius take his shower first and then quickly took his own. Coming out of the shower with only his towel wrapped around him, Albus stepped into his room to get his clothes.

Scorpius, who was halfway through pulling on his pajama trousers and still shirtless, looked up.

Both boys blushed scarlet.

"Er—I—I—" said Scorpius, unable to tear his eyes from Albus's lightly muscular chest and the way the towel hugged his hips suggestively.

"Sorry," said Albus, looking away from the Slytherin's thin body, which was so pale it practically shone. "I should have knocked..."

"No," said Scorpius. "No, it's your room."

"I—I'll just get my pajamas then," said Albus, crossing the room and grabbing his pajamas.

Scorpius was horrified to feel a pressure between his legs as he watched Albus walk across the room, water droplets falling from his bare shoulders and the wet towel swinging around his calves.

"Er—see you in a minute," said Albus, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him. Scorpius hurriedly finished putting on his pajamas and was sitting on his bed when Albus came back in.

"Sorry about that," Albus apologized. "I just didn't think."

"No, it's fine," said Scorpius, a little too quickly.

"Boys!" Ginny yelled up the stairs. "Bed time!"

"Mu-um!" Albus yelled back. "It's only—" he checked his watch. "Eleven-thirty...oh..."

Scorpius smirked. "Nice."

Albus threw a pillow at him.

Ginny stuck her head in the door. "Bed!"

*****TTG*****

On Wednesday, after three days of James, Lily, Albus, and Scorpius hanging out at number 12 Grimmauld place and getting under Ginny's feet as she tried to work, Ginny finally ordered them out of the house.

"But Mum," protested James. "What are we supposed to do? You won't take us anywhere and we're too young to Apparate."

"Take the Floo!" said Ginny irritably. "Or walk if you want! Just get out!"

As chance would have it, Ron and Hermione were having the same problems with Rose and Hugo, and Fred, Roxanne, Louis, and Dominique were also eager to get out of their houses and do something.

Since Scorpius had never been to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes ("Blasphemy!" said Fred and James), the group agreed to Floo over to Diagon Alley to visit the shop.

After they had gone over every inch of the store (twice), they decided it was time for lunch.

"Where should we go?" asked Fred.

"I know!" said Albus, grinning. "Hey, Scorp, you ever been to a Muggle shop?"

"No..." said Scorpius slowly, sounding confused and apprehensive.

"Well then," said Albus, "let's go!"

The cousins and Scorpius spent the rest of their day (after eating lunch at a very good Muggle deli) browsing through Muggle shops. Lily and Dominique spent hours pouring over Muggle clothing, while Fred and James showed the greatest interest in the sports, Hugo and Roxanne browsed electronics, and Rose and Louis had to be pulled bodily away from the books. Scorpius, who had had almost nothing to do with Muggles before, found, much to his surprise, that it was all very interesting and enjoyable. He spent the entire day with his mouth hanging open, sometimes figuratively, sometimes literally, and Albus took great delight in his friend's reactions to all the aspects of the ordinary Muggle world.

*****TTG*****

When Scorpius went to be that night he was so exhausted that he forgot to set the Silencing Charm around his bed. He had been doing this every night after the first night at Grimmauld Place because he persisted in having nightmares. Scorpius had nightmares fairly often at home, but there was no one close enough to him there to hear him, and when he was at school he always made sure to set Silencing Charms. He also didn't usually have them every night like he was now. The only explanation he could come up with was the combination of being in a new place and his close proximity to Albus, something which always put his nerves on edge. But tonight Scorpius was so tired and happy that he fell into bed without casting the charm and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

*****TTG*****

Albus woke in the middle of the night to someone screaming and sobbing. Disoriented, he sat up and looked across the room to where Scorpius was sleeping. The blond Slytherin was thrashing around, gripping the tangled sheets of his bed as he kicked and flailed his legs as though running from something. Throwing off his of sheets, Albus hurried anxiously to his friend's side.

"Scorpius?" he said in a panicky voice, kneeling down beside the other boy's bed. "Scorpius, what's wrong?"

When Scorpius didn't respond Albus yanked the tangled mess of sheets off of him and threw them to the floor. The blond clutched at the air and cried out, curling himself into a tight ball.

"Stop! _Stop!_" he cried. "Let go! I'm not! Wait! I can't run anymore!"

"Scorpius, Scorpius, wake up!" said Albus, tears blurring his own eyes as he tried to grab Scorpius's flailing hands. "It's just a nightmare!"

Not knowing what else to do, Albus lay down on the bed beside his friend, curling his own body around Scorpius's and trying to sooth him. He was afraid that Scorpius was going to hurt himself if he didn't calm down, and his best friend's hysteria was scaring him.

"Hush, hush," murmured Albus, imitating what his mother used to do for him when he had had nightmares as a small child. He could feel Scorpius's tears falling on his hands and more tears running down his own cheeks. "Please, Scorp, please, it's okay, everything's okay, I'm here."

*****TTG*****

Scorpius was aware of warm arms encircling him, and something reassuringly solid pressed against his back. The terror from the nightmare still lingered as the arms loosened to allow him to sit up slowly.

"Scorp? Scorp, are you okay?"

Scorpius looked to his right and saw Albus sitting on his bed, his green eyes red-rimmed and very wide.

"Oh shit," he said, saying the first thing that came into his head. "I've made you cry."

"What? Scorpius, who cares about me? _Are you okay?_"

"Who ca—_I _care about you!" said Scorpius.

"That's beside the point," said Albus, brushing Scorpius's comment aside. "You were having a fit! You scared me, Scorp!"

"I'm sorry," said Scorpius.

"Don't be sorry! It's not your fault!"

Scorpius rubbed his forehead with his fingertips.

"What were you dreaming about?" said Albus softly.

"I—" Scorpius swallowed, his face still in his hands. "I don't remember..."

"Scorp, you can tell me."

"No, really, I don't remember," said Scorpius, looking up again. "Something was chasing me I think...or I was chasing something...or both..." he shook his head. "It's all fuzzy now...a lot of times I don't remember them too well..."

"A lot of times? Them?" said Albus. "You mean this happens often?"

Scorpius nodded. "Probably about once a week or so at home."

"What about here?"

"I've had them every night since I've been here," Scorpius admitted. "I put a Silencing Charm on my bed after the first night so you wouldn't hear."

"Scorpius!" said Albus.

"I'm used to it." Scorpius shrugged.

"But surely your parents—"

"They don't know," said Scorpius. "Their room is too far from mine for them to hear."

"You mean you've just been...all alone... For how long?"

"They started about the same time I started at Hogwarts," said Scorpius.

"Three _years_?" said Albus. "Three years and no one's ever been there?"

"No," said Scorpius. "They weren't so bad at first, and when they started getting worse I put a Silencing Charm around my bed at school."

"That's terrible," said Albus.

Scorpius just shrugged.

"No, it is," said Albus. "Come here," he pulled Scorpius off the bed, but the blond boy hung back.

"What?"

"I'm scared," he whispered miserably.

"Of what?"

"I'm not sure."

"Here," said Albus, putting a guiding arm behind Scorpius's back, "there's nothing to be scared of. I want to show you something."

He grabbed his jacket and then led Scorpius over to the window and unlatched it, pulling the pane up.

"This is my secret place," he explained. "Where I go when I want to be alone. It's kind of hard to do with such a big family."

Albus crawled out of the window and then turned back to motion Scorpius forward. Hesitantly, Scorpius followed Albus outside onto the roof. A few feet to the left of the window was a spot, about thee feet square, that was hidden from both the inside of the house and the garden below but from which they still had a lovely view of the lawn and the night sky.

"Sorry, said Albus as Scorpius squeezed in after him. "It's really kind of a one person hide-out."

"It's beautiful," said Scorpius, sitting down beside Albus.

The two boys sat in silence for several minutes, gazes turned upwards to the stars overhead.

"Scorp, you're shivering," said Albus, breaking the silence. "Stupid me, of course you're shivering. You haven't brought your coat. Here." He opened up his own jacket, took his arm out of the right sleeve, and wrapped half of it around Scorpius's shoulders, pulling the other boy closer to him in the process.

"Thanks," said Scorpius, leaning into the warmth of Albus's side.

"You're welcome," said Albus, reaching up his hand to stroke Scorpius's fair hair. The blond strands gleamed silver in the pale moonlight.

The sky had lightened from black to pearly-gray and the clouds on the horizon were turning pink and orange and gold before either of them spoke again.

"This is nice," murmured Scorpius sleepily.

"I know," said Albus. "Sometimes I come out here at night when I can't sleep, or early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Somehow it makes me feel as though anything were possible. Like I could have anything in the world that I wanted, anything at all, if only I could reach out and take it at just the right moment, just as the sun was coming over the horizon."

"Do you think that's true?" said Scorpius, raising his head from Albus's shoulder and looking into his best friend's breathtakingly green eyes.

"I've never been able to find out," said Albus. "What I want is never here just when the sun is coming over the horizon."

"But what if it was?" breathed Scorpius.

"Then I'd take it," said Albus without hesitating. "If I wanted it badly enough."

"Just as the sun comes over the horizon?" asked Scorpius, glancing at the lightening sky.

"Just as," said Albus.

"Okay," said Scorpius in a breathless whisper. He glanced again toward the horizon; the edge of the rising sun was just visible over the tops of the distant houses.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, leaned forward, and pressed his lips against Albus's.

Albus stiffened in shock and jerked away.

Scorpius quickly pulled back, his eyes snapping open in mortification. Now he'd done it. He'd gone and ruined the only true friendship he'd ever had. How could he have been so fucking stupid? One reckless moment and he'd made Albus hate him forever. He should know better than to believe in fairy tales. He would never be able to look Albus or any of his family in the face ever again. He'd never fucked up so badly in his entire life. There was no way to fix this. He might as well just throw himself off this roof right now.

Instead he leapt up from his seat, nearly knocking Albus over in his haste to get away, and scrambled back through the open window. He banged his forehead on the pane and his knee on the sill but he didn't care, didn't slow down, he just fled the room as though his life depended on it.

**AN: Duhn, duhn, duhn... I won't even apologize for the cliffie because it **_**so**_** needs to be there! Imagine what it was like for the poor people reading this as I was posting. I hope you liked the chapter and like the story so far. Don't hate Al, he deserves to be loved, really. I hope you liked the chapter. Tell me what you think, huh? You must have something to say if you've gotten this far :)**

**-SQ**


	17. You Took Me by Surprise and That is All

**AN: Yes, here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for! Tada! *Bows* Okay, maybe not, but seeing as the last one ended in a pretty wonderfully horrible cliffie (and judging from the reviews I got when the chapter was new) I'm assuming you're pretty anxious to know what happens next. ****Anyway, enough talk, here it is, I hope you like it! :)**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: Fact: I do not own Harry Potter or the song "Turn to Gold"**

**Chapter Eighteen: You Took Me By Surprise And That is All**

Albus sat there, feeling stunned. His head was reeling. His brain felt numb. Disjointed thoughts swirled around inside his head. Images flashing through his mind like the instant replay of a sports match. Talking with Scorpius. Wishes. The sunrise. _And then Scorpius had kissed him._ Albus put his fingers to his lips. He could still feel them tingling from the pressure of Scorpius's mouth. Albus felt frozen in time. Scorpius Malfoy, his best friend, a _boy_, had kissed him. Albus had never been kissed before. He wasn't even sure what it was supposed to feel like. Was his face supposed to feel so hot? Were his lips supposed to feel so wet and tingly? Was his heart supposed to be beating so fast? What did this _mean_? Nothing made sense. Albus had known that Scorpius was gay of course, but it had never crossed his mind that Scorpius could have those kind of feelings for _him_.

And what was going to happen now? Because if Scorpius had kissed him because he liked him—and what other reason would he have for kissing him—what did it mean for their friendship? Albus wasn't gay. Was he? He didn't like boys. Did he? He touched his lips again, remembering the instant of fire that had coursed through his body before he had jerked away, panicked and confused. He had to talk to James.

Looking around, he took in his surroundings for the first time since Scorpius had kissed him. He was still sitting in his hiding place on the roof. Scorpius was nowhere in sight. Albus vaguely remembered Scorpius running to the window and disappearing, but he had been too stunned to consider where the other boy was going.

Still feeling as though he were walking in a different dimension, Albus got dressed and then crossed the hall to James's room and tapped on the door.

"Go away!" said James's voice.

"James," said Albus. His voice came out as little more than a croak. He tried again, "James, it's me."

"What do you want?" said James grumpily, sticking his head out of the door.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" said Albus.

James surveyed his brother. "This had better be good," he said, standing aside to let Albus into his room.

The two brothers sat down on the bed James had recently vacated.

"James," said Albus, running his tongue over his lips. An unfamiliar but strangely pleasant taste lingered on them. "You have a girlfriend. What does it feel like to like someone? I mean to really like someone, not just a—a little crush, but really _like_ them?"

James looked at Albus in confusion. "And you had to wake me up at the crack of dawn to ask me this?"

"Please, James," said Albus.

"Gee," said James, running a hand through his dark brown hair. "I dunno...It feels really good I guess. No I don't guess, it feels damn good. I mean, it feels good to be around them, like there's a physical connection between you, even when you're not touching. But of course want to touch, even a little brushing of hands, to intensify the connection, you know? You always know when they walk into the room, and when they leave it, and just looking at them makes you smile. It's almost painful in a way...but it's a sweet kind of pain. They take your breath away...and make your stomach go all funny... Why d'you want to know anyways?" he asked. "Is there some lucky girl you've got your eye on?"

"Nuh uh," said Albus, shaking his head. "No girl... Thanks James. I—I've got to go."

James watched Albus leave the room and shut the door behind him.

_Well that was weird_, he thought.

*****TTG*****

Albus leaned against the wall between his room and James's.

_Oh my god..._ he thought. _I think I like Scorpius. _

How could it have taken him so long to realize it? It seemed so obvious now. The glances, the blushes, the electricity that passed between them when they touched... The way Scorpius's voice got all breathless when they talked together... How beautiful Scorpius looked when he laughed...

He thought back to what had passed between them on the roof. They had been talking about Albus's idea that if you could just take what you wanted most right as the sun was coming over the horizon... Albus's eyes snapped open. What you wanted most! Scorpius...the kiss! The world jerked back into real time.

_If I'm what he wanted most..._

_And he thinks I rejected him..._

_Oh Merlin, I've got to find him!_

Albus rushed into his room, but Scorpius wasn't there.

"James!" he called, pounding on his brother's door again.

"What is it _this_ time?"

"Have you seen Scorpius?"

"No. I haven't even been out of my room yet this morning Al. Why don't you go ask Mum—"

But Albus was already running down the stairs.

"Mum," he said, entering the kitchen where she was just starting to make breakfast. "Have you seen Scorpius?"

"Scorpius?" said Ginny. "No, I'd think he'd still be asleep. What are you doing up?"

Albus tried not to panic. Maybe he had just gone out into the garden. Yes, of course, that was it. But when Albus stuck his head out of the back door he was met by a deluge of rain pouring down onto his head, and no sign of his friend anywhere. He shouted Scorpius's name for good measure, but got no response. Pulling his head back inside, he tried the front door. It opened easily.

"Mum," he said, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Did you lock the front door last night?"

"Of course," said Ginny. "Why wouldn't I? I lock it every night. You know that."

"But you're sure you locked it _last_ night? You didn't forget."

"No, Al, I didn't forget," said Ginny.

Albus went cold. "Mum," he said, "I think Scorpius is missing."

Ginny dropped the spoon she was holding. "What? Are you sure?"

Albus indicated the unlocked front door. "The door's unlocked. I think he ran away."

"Why would he do that?" said Ginny. "Did you and Scorpius have a fight?"

"Yes—no—sort of," said Albus. "Mum, I've got to find him!"

"You're not going out there in the rain?" said Ginny.

"I have to, Mum! Scorpius is out there!"

"Albus, I'm sure he'll come back once he's—"

Albus shook his head. "You don't know what he's like when he's upset! He's going to do something... I have to find him before it's too late!"

Ginny's hands flew to her mouth. "Al, you don't really think...?"

"Mum, I don't _know_," said Albus. "But what if he does?"

"I'm coming, too. Let me just get your father and James and—"

"There isn't time!" yelled Albus hysterically.

Harry, James, and Lily appeared in the doorway.

"What's going on?" said James.

"Scorpius is missing?" said Harry.

"Is he okay?" said Lily.

"We—something happened and he ran away and I think he's really upset and I have to find him before he does something to himself!" said Albus.

James and Lily both gasped. Harry's brow furrowed.

"Scorpius," said James. "Oh Merlin..."

"I'll help you find him," said Lily.

"No, Lily, you stay here," said Harry. "Albus, wait—"

"I can't, Dad! There isn't time!"

"At least take your coat!" Ginny yelled after him, seeing it was no use to try and stop him. "It's pouring out there!"

Albus grabbed his coat off of the coat rack and raced out the door.

*****TTG*****

Scorpius ran out of Albus's room, down the stairs, and out the front door, pausing only long enough to unlock it so he could get out. Paying no attention to where he was headed, and with no clear destination in mind, Scorpius ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore. Finally his legs gave out underneath him and he half sat, half fell to the ground beside a large building. He punched the stone wall, bloodying his knuckles, and watched in detached satisfaction as the droplets of blood fell onto the pavement.

It started to rain, at first lightly, and then in increasingly large heavy drops which coursed down over him and soaked his thin pajamas all the way through. He began to shiver violently, but he hardly noticed. All he could think was while he was running that he had to get away. He had to get as far away as he possibly could. But now even that seemed like too much work, so he just sat there, in a miserable huddle, the raindrops mixing with salty tears as he sobbed into his pajama-clad knees, wishing that the earth would open up and swallow him.

Eventually, it could have been minutes or hours or only seconds later, for Scorpius had lost all sense of time, he rose mechanically to his feet and began to walk. Tears still coursed down his cheeks, but his shoulders no longer heaved with sobs. He walked stiffly, like a puppet, oblivious to the stares of the few early-morning commuters who were leaving their homes to go to work. One or two people tried to call out to him, to ask if he was lost, if he needed help, but he didn't even hear them. He walked until he left the main area of the city behind him and his way was blocked by a strong river.

Seeming to come out of a kind of dazed stupor, Scorpius blinked at the river, and then a grim, determined look came onto his face. To his right there was a tall footbridge. Scorpius made his way to the top of the bridge and then ducked beneath the railing, inching out until he was standing at the very edge, looking down into the rushing water below.

*****TTG*****

Albus took off running, casting his eyes around desperately, hoping to catch sight of a familiar blond head through the pouring rain.

"Scorpius!" he cried, screaming himself hoarse. "Scorpius, where are you!"

_It's hopeless_ he thought, as he was forced to stop, clutching a stitch in his side. _He could be anywhere._ He let a sob escape him. What if he was already too late?

No, he couldn't let himself think that way, he just couldn't. Straightening up, he started running again, shouting out Scorpius's name.

*****TTG*****

Scorpius hesitated, one foot off the bridge, one foot still planted on the edge. He could have sworn he heard someone calling his name...it sounded like Albus...

*****TTG*****

Forced to stop again to catch his breath, Albus cast about him, squinting through the rain for any sign of Scorpius, but there was no one there. Just the edge of the city, the soaking wet grass, the raging river, the footbridge. The footbridge...

Albus squinted harder. Was that a figure, standing on the wrong side of the railing, poised as if to throw itself into the rushing waters below? Muscles and lungs screaming, Albus sprinted the last couple of yards between himself and the bridge. His heart stopped. It was a figure alright. The figure of Scorpius Malfoy.

The blond boy looked like the subject of a tragic romantic painting, his shining hair plastered to his head by the rain, balanced precariously on the edge of the bridge, one delicate hand resting on the rail behind him, one foot suspended in midair.

Albus froze. One wrong move would send his friend toppling over the edge. Slowly, he began to walk toward Scorpius.

"Scorpius," he said softly, "Scorpius please. Don't do it. Turn around."

_Albus...? _No, it couldn't be. Anyways, it didn't matter. Scorpius shook his head, nearly throwing himself off balance.

"Scorpius! Scorp, please. Turn around."

Against his will, Scorpius found himself turning his head to look behind him.

Through the falling rain, Albus's green eyes met Scorpius's gray ones.

"Easy," said Albus, hardly daring to breath. "Just—just turn around and come back through, okay? Careful! Come under the railing...slowly...slowly! There, there we go...it's gonna be okay..."

Albus held his breath as Scorpius slowly, as though in a dream, slid back under the railing and returned to the main part of the bridge. When both of Scorpius's feet had landed, safe and sound, on the solid planks, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank _Merlin_!" he sobbed, pulling Scorpius into a fierce embrace. "Don't you _ever_ do that to me again, do you hear me? Don't you _ever_! Oh _God_! Scorp, do you have any idea how worried I was? I thought I'd lost you!"

He moved his hands from Scorpius's back to his arms and then his face, reassuring himself that the other boy was really there, and not drowned in the swirling waters below them.

Scorpius stood there, stiff with shock. Albus's arms around him felt like heaven and hell mixed together. He wanted to pull away, but he found he couldn't, and Albus was still sobbing into his chest.

"Why, Scorp? Why? You promised!"

"I'm sorry," said Scorpius hollowly, finally pulling himself gently away from Albus. "I was out of line. I know you don't feel that way about me. I just—"

Albus, too, pulled back a bit, looking at Scorpius in confusion. "What are you on about, Scorp?"

"Kissing you," whispered Scorpius miserably. "I'm sorry, I know you're not gay, I shouldn't have—"

Albus pressed a finger against Scorpius's thin lips.

"Hush," he said. "Just hush." He cupped Scorpius's face in his hands. "How long have you felt that way about me?" he asked softly.

Scorpius swallowed. "Since pretty much as soon as we became friends," he admitted.

"And you kept it from me all this time?" Damn he looked beautiful, with the rain flowing down his pale hair and skin in little rivulets.

"What could I do?" said Scorpius. "I didn't want to ruin what we had. Like I did this morning," he added dismally.

"You didn't ruin anything," said Albus, still cupping Scorpius's face in his hands. "I never thought—that is—" he licked his lips. "I'm not gay—"

"Al, I know—I'm sorry—"

"Hush! I _wasn't_ gay. I'm straight. Or—or I was straight—or maybe I'm _not_ straight... Oh, I'm not making any sense!" said Albus. "What I'm trying to say is, when you kissed me I only pulled away because I was shocked. I shouldn't have been. I should have _seen_. But I was. And I didn't. And—I didn't know what to think—I still don't know what to think— But it felt...it felt... Scorpius, will you kiss me again?"

"What?"

"Will you kiss me again?"

"Why?" said Scorpius blankly.

"'Cause I think I like you."

Scorpius's eyes widened.

"R-really? You—Al—wait—what?"

Albus wrapped his arms more tightly around Scorpius's waist, breathing in the other boy's scent. Why had he never noticed before how _good_ Scorpius smelled?

"I said, I think I like you."

"For real?" said Scorpius. "As in, _like_ like me?"

"Yeah," said Albus, looking a little scared. "So?"

"So what?"

"So, will you kiss me again?"

Scorpius felt a happiness like he had never known rise inside of him. And suddenly he too was crying, tears pouring once again down his already tear-streaked cheeks.

"Yes, Al," he choked. "Definitely yes."

The boys leaned into each other and closed the gap between their mouths. Standing there in the pouring rain, the two fourteen year-olds pressed their lips together in perfect bliss. Albus's lips felt soft and deliciously warm, thought Scorpius, to the extent that he was capable of thinking anything, and they moved in exact rhythm with his. Albus, meanwhile, was marveling at how cold and smooth Scorpius's lips were, how they fit perfectly onto his own, as if they were made for each other.

After several seconds the two boys broke apart, breathing hard.

"That," said Albus, sniffling. "Is what our first kiss was supposed to be like."

Scorpius smiled shakily. "Al...you really, _really—_"

"Yes!" said Albus, cutting him off with another quick peck on the lips. "I'm sorry I didn't realize it before. I wish more than anything I had, that I hadn't put you through so much pain." He ran his hands down Scorpius's arms.

"When I realized you were gone—I knew. I just knew somehow what you were going to do. And then when I saw you on the bridge...that was the worst moment of my life. I thought I was too late." Albus bowed his head, tears trickling from under his half-closed lids.

Scorpius put a hand under Albus's chin and lifted his face, brushing away the other boy's tears with his other hand.

"Shhhhh, shhhhh," he said. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking. I thought you were going to hate me and I didn't know what to do."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm never going to hate you again?" said Albus.

"I know, I'm sorry," said Scorpius again.

Suddenly the reality of what he had nearly done hit Scorpius. If Albus had come just a second later... If Scorpius hadn't turned around... He began to sob in earnest.

"Scorpius? Scorpius! What's wrong? Talk to me."

Scorpius wiped his face on his sleeve. "Th-th-thank you," he said. "For s-s-saving me. Again."

The two boys stood there for a moment, at the top of the bridge, wrapped loosely in each others arms, taking comfort in one another's presence.

Suddenly Scorpius sneezed. "Atchoo!"

Albus pulled back to look at his friend. "Scorpius? You're shivering... Merlin! You're only wearing your pajamas! You're soaked! You must be freezing!" he said, looking at Scorpius in horror.

"I—I guess I just didn't notice," said Scorpius through chattering teeth.

Albus opened his coat and drew Scorpius close to him so the coat could cover both of them.

"Come on, let's get you back to the house," he said gently.

"O-ok-kay," said Scorpius, suddenly realizing how cold he was. "Al—I'm c-c-cold..."

Albus drew Scorpius even closer, trying to warm him with his own body heat.

"I know," he said soothingly. "Come on, we'll get you home. Everything will be all right."

"I know," said Scorpius, though he was still shivering violently, "I'm with you."

"Mum!" cried Albus, running up the front steps, his arm still firmly clamped around Scorpius's waist. "Mum! I found him!"

The door opened and Ginny's relieved face appeared in the doorway.

"Thank goodness!" she said, pulling the two boys into the house. "Good heavens!" she added, getting a good look at Scorpius. "You're soaked!"

"He-he-he-atchoo!" sneezed Scorpius. "Hello, Mrs. Potter," he sniffled.

"Come on," said Ginny briskly but kindly, summoning a thick blanket and bundling Scorpius into it. "Come in and get warm. "Al, go get Scorpius a towel and some dry clothes."

Albus took off up the stairs while Ginny led Scorpius into the living room.

"Is Scorpius back?" said Lily, appearing in the doorway. "Scorp!" She ran up to him and gave him a tight hug. "You're all wet," she said in a mildly reproachful voice.

"Lily, let Scorpius sit down," said Ginny. "Sit here," she said to Scorpius, motioning to a large armchair and flicking her wand at the fireplace, which burst into roaring flames.

"Harry and James are still out looking for you," said Ginny. "Let me just let them know you're here." She flicked her wand again and two silvery Patronuses flew out of it and galloped away.

"J-J-James and M-M-Mr. P-Potter are out l-l-looking f-for m-me?" said Scorpius through chattering teeth.

"Of course," said Ginny. "You didn't think we would just let you run away like that, did you? You had us quite worried."

Scorpius looked away, shame-faced. "I'm sorry," he sniffled.

"Never you mind," said Ginny as Albus came back into the room. "I'm going to make you some hot chocolate and some soup. Lily, come and help me."

"Here, Scorp," said Albus once his mother and sister had left the room. "I brought you a towel and some clothes. I—er—I'll just—hold up the blanket and let you change..." he blushed scarlet, staring at his feet.

Scorpius blushed too. "O-Okay," he said.

He stood up and went behind the blanket, very conscious of Albus's presence on the other side of it as he peeled off his wet pajamas and slipped into a pair of his own trousers and one of Albus's Weasley sweaters.

"I'm—er—done," he said.

Albus lowered the blanket and the looked at each other awkwardly.

Scorpius scuffed his toe on the carpet and sniffled.

Albus draped the blanket back around Scorpius's shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

"Uh huh," said Scorpius, sitting back down in the chair in front of the fire. "Atchoo!"

Albus, standing by Scorpius's shoulder, laced his fingers through his damp blond hair and handed him a tissue.

"Thanks," sniffled Scorpius, blowing his nose.

Albus heard a noise and looked up. Lily was standing in the doorway, looking at the two of them with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Hot chocolate," announced Ginny, coming into the room with a tray of mugs floating in front of her. Two mugs steered themselves into Scorpius's and Albus's hands.

Scorpius sniffled. "Thank you, Mrs. Potter," he said, taking a sip of the warm cocoa.

There was a clatter in the entry hall.

"Al?" James's voice came from the hall. "Scorp?"

"James, hang up your coat!" said Harry.

But James was already halfway up the stairs to the living room.

"Scorp, mate, where did you go?" he said, taking in Scorpius's huddled form in the chair.

"Why did you run away?" asked Lily.

"Lily," said their mother warningly. "James."

Scorpius looked at James's and Lily's concerned faces.

"I was upset," he said.

"Did you and Al have a fight?" said Lily.

"Sort of," said Scorpius, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

James gave Scorpius a half smile "Don't do things like that," he said, ruffling Scorpius's hair. "You're gonna give us all heart attacks. You're kind of starting to grow on me, kid."

Harry, who had been talking with Ginny, now crossed the room to squat down in front of Scorpius.

Scorpius swallowed. Albus's father looked so much like him, the same messy black hair and piercing green eyes. And he was frigging Harry Potter for Merlin's sake! Not to mention his own father's childhood enemy. There were lots of reasons for Scorpius to be intimidated.

"Scorpius," said Harry. "Are you alright?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yes, Mr. Potter," he added.

"You _can't _just run away," said Harry. "If you and Al have a fight, fine, but don't just up and leave. What am I supposed to tell your father? 'Sorry, Mr. Malfoy, we seem to have lost your son.'" Harry sighed. "This is a big city, a big Muggle city. Do you know how scared we all were?"

Scorpius bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter. Really I am. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "You're not causing trouble. Just _think_ before you act next time."

Scorpius nodded. "Ye-e-atchoo! Yes, Mr. Potter."

Harry gave the boy a concerned look and touched him on the shoulder. "I'm not angry with you, Scorpius. We're just relieved to have you back safe and sound."

"So am I, Mr. Potter," said Scorpius fervently.

"Soup," said Ginny, laying a bowl of it in Scorpius's lap. "Don't spill. And when you're done I want you to go right up to Albus's room and stay there for the rest of the day. There's been quite enough excitement in this house for one day."

Scorpius, realizing that he was ravenous since he hadn't eaten any breakfast, ate the deliciously warm soup as quickly as he could without burning himself. Albus, who had also had no breakfast, downed his own bowl of soup, and then the two boys retired up to Albus's bedroom.

Scorpius sat down on his bed and looked sideways at Albus. "Er—"

"Er, what?" said Albus.

Scorpius chewed a lock of his hair.

"I've told you not to do that," said Albus, gently tugging Scorpius's hair out of his mouth. His hand hovered a moment by Scorpius's face, his fingertips brushing Scorpius's cheek softly. Scorpius shuddered involuntarily.

"This is—strange for me," said Albus, sitting down next to Scorpius. "I—I didn't even know I liked boys...I still don't know if I like boys...but I like _you_." He licked his lips.

"I like you too," Scorpius whispered.

"I've never done this before," said Albus. "had a boyfriend or a girlfriend I mean."

"Neither have I," said Scorpius.

Albus put an arm around him. Scorpius rested his head on Albus's shoulder.

"You _won't_ do it again, will you?" said Albus softly, tucking a lock of hair behind Scorpius's ear. "You promised me once before that you wouldn't and then you broke your promise. I don't want to lose you."

Scorpius sniffled. "I know. I promise."

*****TTG*****

Exhausted both physically and emotionally from their day, Albus and Scorpius went to bed early that night. Both of them fell asleep almost as soon as Albus flicked out the light, but Albus was awoken in the middle of the night again by Scorpius crying out in his sleep.

Knowing immediately what was happening this time, Albus crept out of his own bed and slid in beside Scorpius, wrapping his arms around the other boy.

"Shhhhh, shhhhhh," he soothed, rubbing Scorpius's arms as he writhed and whimpered. "Don't cry, don't cry. I'm here. It's just a dream."

"Al?"

"Did I wake you?" said Albus. "I didn't mean to. Go back to sleep, Scorp, it was just a nightmare, I've got you."

Scorpius twisted around so that he was facing Albus, who still had his arms encircling him. He breathed in sharply.

"Albus..."

"Shhh... Go back to sleep, Scorp."

Scorpius forced himself to look into Albus's brilliantly green eyes. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry.

"Answer me one question," he said, willing his voice steady.

"Yeah?" said Albus. "What is it?"

"When you found me on the bridge...did we really talk about what I think we talked about?"

"What do you mean, Scorp?" said Albus.

"Did you really tell me...that you...liked me?" he whispered.

Albus smiled. "Uh huh," he said. "And then we kissed. Like this." And he placed his lips gently on Scorpius's, pressing the other boy down into his pillow.

When they broke apart Scorpius was panting slightly. "So, it wasn't a dream?"

Albus laughed. "No, Scorp, it wasn't a dream. Go back to sleep."

"Are you...staying here?"

Albus briefly though about his mother's rule about them not sharing a bed, but quickly brushed it aside. "Do you want me to?" he asked.

"Only if you want to," said Scorpius.

"It won't make you uncomfortable?"

Scorpius shook his head. "You?"

"Uh uh," said Albus, laying his dark head back on the pillow beside Scorpius's fair one.

"Goodnight, Al," Scorpius murmured sleepily.

"Goodnight, Scorp," breathed Albus.

**AN: So, what d'you think? Al finally knows he likes Scorp and Scorp likes him. About time, huh? I know it was a little dramatic, and a little sappy, but hey, that's the kind of person I am.**

**By the way, this and the chapter before it are two that have been in my head since basically the beginning. They and the very last chapter are most of the reason I decided to use the song Turn To Gold in the fic.**

**But I can tell you my thoughts on my story all day, why don't you tell me yours? Thanks to everyone who has already reviewed, and extra thanks to everyone who has reviewed multiple times. You make me smile :)**

**-SQ**


	18. So In the End Perhaps You're Here

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter, yay! Why was it so much easier and faster to write than "Bound With Silver Threads" even when the chapter is longer? Anyway, it's another chapter that is really long and only covers one day, but the next chapter will cover the whole rest of the week, so we won't be stuck at the same time forever. By the way, you might want to pay close attention to Lily when she pops up, if you haven't already.**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the song lyrics are not mine. Wow.**

**Chapter Eighteen: So In the End Perhaps You're Here**

When Albus woke up the next morning he felt disoriented. Where was he? This wasn't his bed... He sat up and looked around, then he looked down beside him and the events of the day before came rushing back.

Asleep, and in the absence of his nightmares, Scorpius looked very peaceful. His long blond hair framed his face and then fell down over his shoulders to fan out on the pillow. He lay on his side with one knee drawn up to his chest, his other leg slightly bent. His face was turned toward the ceiling, his cheek gently resting in the crook of one arm which was bend above his head, the other hand splayed out on the pillow beside him. His lips were parted, and the wisps of hair around them gently fluttered in time with his breathing.

As though he sensed Albus watching him, Scorpius's gray eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," said Albus.

"Hey," said Scorpius, a faint blush rising to his cheeks as he remembered what had passed between them the day before.

Albus absently fingered a lock of Scorpius's fine, silky hair.

"How can you look so beautiful first thing in the morning?" he asked half-jokingly.

"You think I'm beautiful?" said Scorpius.

"Scorp, you're the most beautiful boy I've ever seen," said Albus seriously.

Scorpius's blush deepened.

"You're pretty gorgeous yourself," he said, raising a hand and brushing Albus' cheek with the backs of his fingers.

It was Albus's turn to blush.

"We should get up," said Scorpius, letting his hand fall back onto the pillow.

"I am up," Albus pointed out, his mouth quirking into the adorable smile that Scorpius loved so much. "It's you who's still lying down."

"Touchè," said Scorpius, sitting up and stretching out his arms. He swallowed and then winced. His throat felt kind of sore, probably from all the crying he had done the day before. How humiliating...

"You okay?" Albus asked, catching the gesture.

"Yeah, I'm fine," said Scorpius.

"What d'you want to do today?" Albus asked Scorpius as he walked over to his dresser to pick out his clothes.

"I-I-I-Atchoo!" said Scorpius.

"Bless you," said Albus. "You're sure you're okay, Scorp?"

"Yeah," said Scorpius, sniffling and wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"It's still pretty early," continued Albus. "We went to bed pretty early last night after all. But later we could go to the park or something. It looks a lot nicer out today than it was yesterday."

"That sounds ni-ni-ni-Atchoo!" said Scorpius. "Nice," he finished, sniffling.

Albus turned around, frowning. "Scorp, you don't sound too good, are you coming down with something?"

"Nah," said Scorpius. "I'b fine." He blew his nose. "Just a little sniffly."

The two boys got dressed, Albus in his room and Scorpius in the bathroom, and then they went downstairs, where Ginny was making breakfast.

"You're up early," she said.

"Yeah, well, we went to bed early last night," said Albus.

"Well, the bacon's just about ready," said Ginny. "Here's some toast and some orange juice."

"Th-th-th-Atchoo!" said Scorpius. "Thank you, Mrs. Potter."

Ginny looked at him. "Scorpius, are you feeling alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, Bissus Potter," he said, sniffling. "I'b fine. Just a little sniffly." He blew his nose again.

"Alright," said Ginny, giving him one last searching look. "Well, here's your bacon."

When Albus and Scorpius were done with their breakfast they got up from the table.

"Thanks Mum," said Albus. "We're gonna go out to the park, okay?"

"Alright, sweetie," said Ginny. "Take your coats."

"But Mum, it's nice out!" protested Albus.

"It is _now_," said Ginny. "But that might change later. Take them just in case."

Albus rolled his eyes, but Scorpius didn't mind taking his coat along as he was feeling rather chilly.

The two of them walked the few blocks to the park and sat down on the swings. Albus immediately began pumping his legs, taking him higher and higher into the air, but Scorpius, who was still feeling a little tired, just rocked back and forth from his toes to his heals.

"Don't you want to swing?" Albus called down to his friend.

"Nah," said Scorpius.

Albus slowed to a stop beside Scorpius. "What's up?"

"Nothing," said Scorpius. "Go on, I like watching you sw-sw-sw-Atchoo! Swing."

Albus frowned. "Scorp?" he said, eying the other boy closely. "Scorp, you're really pale..."

Scorpius laughed. "I'b always pale Al."

"No, I'm serious," said Albus. "You don't look so good. And you sound kind of hoarse and stuffy."

"I'b fine, Al, stop worrying," said Scorpius, standing up and taking Albus's hands to pull him up with him.

"Come here," said Albus, laying one of his hands on Scorpius forehead. Scorpius shivered involuntarily.

Albus bit his lip. "Scorp, you're really warm. I think we should take you home."

"Al, I-I-I-Atchoo!" sneezed Scorpius forcefully.

"Okay, that's it," said Albus, taking Scorpius firmly by the arm, noticing that his friend was shivering. "We're going back."

Scorpius rubbed his nose. Truly, he hadn't been feeling too great all morning, and ever since they got to the park he'd started to feel definitely sick. "Alright, alright," he said. "I-I-I-Atchoo!" He stumbled and Albus caught him. "I'b cubing."

*****TTG*****

"Mum," said Albus, opening the front door and coming into the house, followed by Scorpius. "Mum?"

"Are you home already?" Ginny asked, appearing on the first floor landing.

"Mum, Scorpius has a temperature," said Albus.

"Oh dear," said Ginny, coming over and laying a hand on Scorpius forehead.

"Atchoo!" sneezed Scorpius, shivering slightly.

"Yes, you're certainly running a temperature," said Ginny. "I did wonder this morning...you were looking a little peaky. Go on upstairs and get into bed," she told Scorpius. "Albus, you know where the thermometer is, take his temperature. I'll be up in just a minute.

James was coming down the stairs just as Albus and Scorpius, who was still sniffling and shivering, were going up.

"Hey," said James. "What's wrong with you?"

"He's sick," Albus informed his brother. "He's running a temperature."

"Aw man, that sucks," said James, patting Scorpius on the shoulder. "I hope you feel better soon, mate."

"Thanks, Jabes," said Scorpius.

The boys continued up to Albus's bedroom, where Scorpius climbed into his bed and Albus pulled the covers up over him.

"Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well this morning?" he asked, sitting down next the the Slytherin.

"I thought babey it would pass. And I didn't want to ruin your day," said Scorpius.

"Scorp," said Albus tenderly, brushing the blond's hair out of his face. "You could never ruin my day. Not as long as I get to spend it with you."

"Aw, Al..." said Scorpius, going pink.

"It's true," said Albus, kissing the top of Scorpius fair head. "Now put this under your tongue." he handed Scorpius the thermometer.

Scorpius complied, and Albus scooted closer to him, putting an arm around his shoulders. Scorpius, giving up on pretending he wasn't sick, since he obviously was, leaned into him.

When the thermometer beeped Albus pulled it out and looked at it.

"38.6 (101.6)," he said. "Oh Scorp, you are sick. And it's all my fault."

"What?" said Scorpius. "What do you bean, 'it's all your fault'?"

"If I had only noticed sooner how much I like you, _how_ I like you, if I hadn't pulled away from you when you kissed me, then you wouldn't have run out in that rain in just your pajamas and caught a chill and—"

Scorpius silenced him with a finger to his lips. "Don't talk nonsense, Al." He sniffled and then kept going. "Be running out there was by own stupid fault. Don't blabe yourself. I would have been a lot worse off without you."

Albus smiled and nuzzled Scorpius's cheek. "I'm glad it finally got through my thick skull that I like you," he whispered.

"I'b glad I finally got up the courage to tell you," said Scorpius, sliding his arms around Albus's waist. "Well, to kiss you."

There was a knock on the door and the two boys guiltily sprang apart as Ginny entered the room.

"Did you take his temperature?" she asked Albus, setting down a hot water bottle in Scorpius's arms.

"Yes," said Albus. "It's 38.6 (101.6)."

"Definitely a fever," said Ginny with concern. "Scorpius, I want you to stay in bed today, if you need something tell Albus and he'll get it for you. I'm not going to give you anything right now because it's probably just a chill and so better left to sort itself out on its own, at least until your fever comes down."

"Thanks, Bissus Potter," said Scorpius, hugging the hot watter bottle. "Atchoo! I'b really sorry to cause any bore trouble."

"Hush," said Ginny. "You just focus on getting better."

"Yes, Bissus Potter," Scorpius said again.

When his mother had left Albus moved closer to Scorpius again. Scorpius sniffled and let his head rest on Albus's shoulder.

"Scorp?" said Albus, running his fingers through the other boy's hair. "Are you very sleepy?"

"Doe," said Scorpius, sounding ever more congested. "Dot really. Why?"

"I—er—this probably isn't the best time to ask you this..."

"What?" said Scorpius, lifting his head and looking into Albus's eyes. He laid his hand over Albus's. "What is it?"

Albus interlaced their fingers. "Are we—you know—together? Boyfriends? Dating?" he asked, his eyes fixed on their twined fingers.

"Do you want to be?" asked Scorpius, his heartbeat suddenly faster.

"Yes," said Albus, lifting his eyes. "That is—if you want to." There was a hopeful question on his face."

"You doe I'b dever dud this before, right?" asked Scorpius.

"Neither have I," said Albus.

"Alright then," said Scorpius, sniffling. "Thed of course we cad be...together."

Albus smiled and pulled Scorpius into a gentle kiss.

Scorpius's lips melted into Albus's, savoring their warmth and flavor. But then he pulled away.

"Doe, Al, you shouldn't be kissing be right dow," he said. "I'b sick. Atchoo! See? You'll get sick too if you kiss be."

Albus waved this away. "I've got a really strong immune system," he said. "Something about catching everything there was to catch before the age of ten. Besides, I'm sure Mum will make me take some sort of prevention potion."

Albus leaned in and kissed Scorpius again, deeper this time, moving his hands slowly down his new boyfriend's arms and back to settle on his hips, pulling him even closer, so that their chests were touching.

"Ooohhh," said Scorpius. "Al, do you doe what that _does_ to be?" he moaned, shuddering

Albus smiled mischievously. "I know what it does to _me_," he breathed. "And it feels damn good."

Scorpius slid his own hands down to the tops of Albus's hips, but then he had to stop, sneezing harshly.

"Atchoo! Atchoo! Atchoo! Atchoo! Atchoo!"

"Oh, Scorp," said Albus, handing him a handful of tissues and rocking him gently. "I'm so sorry. You shouldn't be snogging me right now! You're sick! You should be resting." He rubbed his boyfriend's back in slow, gentle circles.

Scorpius leaned his face into Albus's collar. If only he didn't feel so damn ill. "Doe," he said. "I liked it. I'b sorry I ruied it."

"You didn't ruin it, Scorp," said Albus. "It's not you're fault you can't stop sneezing." He handed his sniffling boyfriend another tissue. "You're ill. You've got a fever for Merlin's sake. And all I can think about is snogging!"

"I like thinking about sdogging," said Scorpius, smiling.

"Right now you should think about sleeping," said Albus, noticing that his boyfriend was sounding more congested by the minute. He leaned back against the headboard.

"Do you bide?" asked Scorpius as he leaned against Albus, his head resting on the other boy's chest.

"Not at all," said Albus, stroking Scorpius's pale hair and too warm cheeks. He pulled the blankets up over the Slytherin. "Scorp?" he said softly. But the other boy was already asleep.

*****TTG*****

"Where are the boys?" Harry asked Ginny when he came down to breakfast.

"James is somewhere," she said. "And Albus and Scorpius are up in Albus's room. Scorpius is running a temperature."

"Really?" said Harry. "Great, that's just what we need, Draco Malfoy's son runs away and then falls ill while under our care. Is he alright?"

"Yes, he's fine," said Ginny. "He's only caught a chill. But we really ought to write to Draco."

Harry groaned. "Man, he's going to kill me! I suppose we really must, though."

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy,_

_ Please don't be concerned, but we thought you ought to know that your son Scorpius is slightly ill. It's nothing serious, just a cold, but he is running a temperature. He and Albus apparently got into an argument yesterday and he ran outside in the rain without his coat and appears to have caught a chill. There's really no reason for you to worry, he's resting right now and should be better in a day or so, but we thought you would like to know._

_Regards,_

_Harry and Ginny Potter_

There was a knock on Albus's bedroom door.

"Come in," Albus called quietly.

Lily opened the door and entered the room, cocking her head thoughtfully for a second as she looked at her older brother and his best friend.

"How is he?" she asked.

"He's okay," said Albus, speaking softly so as not to wake the boy still sleeping on his chest. "He's got a fever and is sniffling and sneezing a whole bunch. But it's just a cold. Mum says it should be gone in a day or two."

"That's good," said Lily.

"Whad's good?" said Scorpius, opening his eyes. "Oh, hi Lily."

"Hi, Scorp," she said. "You don't look so good."

"Yeah, well... Atchoo!" he sneezed. Albus handed him a tissue.

"You don't sound so good either," she observed.

Scorpius shrugged. "I'b okay," he said. "Id's odly a cold."

"A bad cold," said Albus, absently playing with the ends of Scorpius's hair.

Lily tilted her head again, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Lily!" Ginny's voice came up the stairs. "Leave the boys alone!"

"But Mum!" said Lily. "I'm not bothering them!"

"I said leave them alone, Lily," said her mother in a warning tone.

"Alright, alright. Bye Scorp," she said, leaning in and giving him a sisterly kiss on the cheek. "Feel better."

*****TTG*****

"You still sleepy?" Albus questioned after Lily had left.

"Dod pardicularly," said Scorpius.

"Hold on a minute," said Albus, leaning over the side of the bed and reaching into Scorpius's bag. When he straightened up he was holding Scorpius's sketchbook.

"Ah, I wondered if you had brought this. I haven't seen you draw in a while. Can you only draw when you're depressed, or can you do it when you're happy too?"

Scorpius laughed. "I haven'd had doo buch occasion do be happy de lasd couple years," he said. "Bud I don'd see why by bood should ab ad effecd od if I draw, odly whad I draw."

"Scorp," said Albus, cuddling his boyfriend. "You sound really sick."

"I'b just congesded," he said. He picked up the sketchbook and and flipped back the cover. Then he hesitated. "Er—Al?"

"Yeah?" said Albus, who had picked up Scorpius's blond hair and was letting it run through his fingers like water.

"Rebeber de first tibe—Adchoo!—you cabe id ad saw be drawing?"

"Mmmhmmm."

"Well, I neber did show you whad I was drawing ded."

Albus gave him a questioning look.

"Would you—er—like do see?"

"Yeah, if you want to show me," said Albus.

Scorpius opened the sketchbook to the fourth page. Albus leaned over his shoulder to see the picture.

It was a pencil sketch of two people kissing. Two boys. Their lips were locked together, their bodies pressed against one another. One of them, the taller, light-haired one, had his hands cradling the head of the shorter, dark-haired one, whose arms were looped loosely around his lover's waist.

"It's beautiful," said Albus. He looked closer. "It's us, isn't it?"

Scorpius nodded. "Usually I dry dod do draw dings like dis," he said. "Bud for sub reasod I did'd erase dis one whed I re-re-re-Adchoo! Realized whad id was durding oud do be. I did'd bean for id do be us. I odly realized afder id was fidished. I hope you don'd bide."

"Of course I don't mind," said Albus. He pulled on Scorpius's hand. "Get up for a minute, okay?"

"Okay," said Scorpius, feeling confused and a little cold as he rose from the bed.

Albus took Scorpius's hands and positioned them so they were cradling the back of his head, then he looped his arms loosely around Scorpius's waist, pressing their bodies together. Then he stood on tiptoe, bringing their lips together.

The kiss was short, only lasting a second or two, but when they pulled back both boys were grinning.

"There," said Albus. "Now let's get you back into bed where you belong."

*****TTG*****

The door to Albus's room opened and Scorpius almost fell out of bed trying to get off of his lap in time.

"Don't you ever knock?" said Albus in annoyance, seeing his brother standing in the doorway.

"How're you doing, Scorp?" said James, ignoring Al's question.

"I'b beed bedder," he said.

James smiled. "I can tell." He came into the room and shut the door. "You still got a fever?" he asked.

"Yeb," said Scorpius.

"Bummer," said James, sitting down on the bed. "You don't look well," he told the younger boy.

"He isn't well," said Albus.

"I'b okay," protested Scorpius. "I'll be fide id a day or dwo, your bub said."

"You'd better be," said James fondly, ruffling Scorpius's hair.

Scorpius smiled at him. James was really great. He could be a big pain in the arse sometimes of course, but Scorpius had always wanted an older brother.

The three boys looked toward the door. They had heard voices on the stairs.

"I'm sorry if we worried you," Ginny was saying. "He really is fine. There was no need for you to disrupt your day to come all the way over here..."

"I want to see my son," said another voice.

"He's in Al's room," said Harry as the three voices came nearer. "Just down the hall."

They heard footsteps and then Albus's door opened to admit Draco Malfoy, followed by Harry and Ginny.

"Fader," said Scorpius, surprised.

"Mr. and Mrs. Potter wrote me to say that you are ill," said Draco, striding over to his son's bed.

"Er—yeah," said Scorpius. "Id's odly a cold dough. I'b okay really."

Draco pressed his large hand to his son's forehead. "You're running a temperature," he said.

"Id's dod bery high," said Scorpius. "Odly 38.4 (101.2) lasd dibe we checked. Adchoo! Id wed dowd frub dis bording."

"That is still a fever," said Draco. "And you sound awful."

"By dose is jusd all sduffy," Scorpius explained.

"Why did you run out in the rain yesterday?" his father asked softly.

Scorpius looked at the coverlet.

"I was—ubsed," he said. "I'b sorry, Fader. I was sdubid."

"You're not stupid," said Draco. "But yes, that was a stupid thing to do. What if you had gotten hurt?"

Tears of shame welled in Scorpius's eyes, but he couldn't cry in front of his father. "I doe," he said miserably. "I'b sorry. I was'd dinking."

Draco felt a pang of regret. His son was ill, and here he was harping him.

"Well, think next time," he said. "Come on, let's go."

"Go?" said Scorpius and Albus together.

"Yes, go home," said Draco.

"Bud, Fader," said Scorpius. "I sdill—Adchoo!—hab a week lefd!"

"Scorpius," said Draco sternly. "You are ill. I'm afraid that we will have to cut this visit short."

"Oh, Mr. Malfoy, please can't he stay?" said Albus. "I promise I'll take really good care of him, you know I will."

"It's not a question of how good care you will take of him," said Draco. "I do not want to leave my son to be a burden on someone else's family."

"Oh, he won't be a burden at all, Draco," said Ginny.

"Of course not," said Harry. "We understand of course if you want to take Scorpius home with you since he is ill, but we would be delighted to have him stay for the next week."

Draco looked at Scorpius and Albus.

"Oh blease, Fadder?" said Scorpius, hardly daring to hope. "I'b sure I'll be be-be-be-Adchoo! Bedder really sood adyways."

"Couldn't he stay?" said Albus beseechingly. "I know he's sick, but he really will get better quickly. It's only a cold, and as soon as his fever goes down Mum's going to give him a Pepper-Up Potion and he should be fine."

"Well...alright...very well," said Draco reluctantly. "But if you haven't recovered by the day after tomorrow I'm coming to get you, is that clear, young man?"

"Yes, Fader," said Scorpius. "Oh dake you, Fader!"

"Thank you Potter. Goodbye, Scorpius," said Draco, clapping his son on the shoulder. "I will see you soon."

"Goodbye, Father," said Scorpius.

*****TTG*****

After Albus and Scorpius had changed into their pajamas there was a knock at the door.

"May I come in?" said Harry.

"Of course, Dad," said Albus, silently thanking his father for giving Scorpius time to lift his head off of his lap.

Harry opened the door.

"Hey, boys," he said, sitting down at the foot of the bed. "Are you feeling any better, Scorpius?"

"Adchoo!" said Scorpius. " Hello Bisder Podder. I'b sdill really sduffed ub, bud by feber's god dowd do 38.2 (100.8)."

"That's good," said Harry, putting his cool hand on Scorpius's forehead. It felt good to his over-warm skin. "You're definitely cooler than you were this morning. You sound worse though."

Scorpius sniffled. "Id really sugs habing a cold," he said.

"I know it does," said Harry. He surprised both boys by giving Scorpius a one-armed half-hug. "Er—Scorpius," he added. "I'm sorry if we were a little...unfriendly toward you at first. Your father and I never got along too well and..."

"Id's okay, Bisder Podder," Scorpius cut him off. "I doe aboud you ad by fader. Ad I doe dad babey I'b not da...kide ob fred you would hab chosed for Albus. Dangk you for ledding be cub do sday ad all."

Harry smiled. "Thank you for coming. Now get some rest." he stood up. "Both of you."

After Harry left Albus hesitated. "Er—Scorp? Where am I sleeping tonight?"

Scorpius chewed a lock of hair. "Er—whereber you wad, I guess."

"I'd like to stay with you," he said, smiling fondly at his boyfriend.

Scorpius smiled back at him. "I'd lige dad doo," he said. And then "Adchoo!"

Albus handed him a tissue so that he could blow his nose and then pulled back the covers and slipped in beside Scorpius. He planted a soft kiss on the other boy's lips. "Go to sleep, love," he said. "You'll feel better in the morning."

Scorpius snuggled down into the covers until his head was nestled right under Albus's chin. Albus encircled him with his arms and brushed the top of his head with a gentle kiss.

"Goodnight, Scorp," he said.

"Adchoo!" said Scorpius.

Albus cuddled him. "Feel better, love," he said.

"Gooddighd, Al," sniffled Scorpius, letting his eyes drift closed. "Sweed dreabs."

**AN: So, this chapter was admittedly a little bit of me indulging myself, since I'm kind of a sickfic addict and a big sap, but after my head gave me the scene on the bridge in the rain it just continued with this. I think it also provides a really good opportunity to show developments in the relationships between all the characters, especially all the Potters with Scorpius. I'm not going to dwell on the illness, this isn't a sicfic after all, and Scorp will be basically better the next morning so we can get on with more of the plot, but I liked how this chapter moved the plot too. I hope you feel the same way. In any case, if you could tell me how you do feel by reviewing, that would be pretty snazzy ;)**

**-SQ**


	19. There Was No Accidental Kiss

**Author's Note: By the way, not that anyone's commented on this, but just to make sure, right now when Al and Scorp sleep together that is really all they are doing. Sleeping. Well, and kissing, chastely. However, this chapter does contain what happened with Nott and Goyle that was never really clarified, specifically the missing scene where they go up to the dormitories. I think I managed to present it so it still adheres to the T rating (nothing particularly graphic or explicit), but be forewarned that that part is in here, and it does let you know what happened (which might not be **_**quite**_** as bad as some of you may think, though Nott and Goyle are still horrible)****. It'll be fairly obvious where it's going to be.**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own Harry Potter or the song lyrics.**

**Chapter Nineteen: There Was No Accidental Kiss**

The next morning Scorpius woke up before Albus. The first thing he noticed was that he felt a lot better than he had the day before. The second was that he was still wrapped in Albus's arms. He bit his lip as the heat rose through his body. What was he thinking? This could only end in disaster. He couldn't afford he harbor any delusions about him and Albus. Albus was pure, untainted, innocent. Scorpius was not.

Gently, trying not to wake the beautifully slumbering boy beside him, Scorpius unwound Albus's arms and sat up. He tried to take a deep breath through his nose, but obviously he wasn't totally recovered, as all this resulted in was a rather painful sneeze.

"Adchoo!"

"Scorp?" said Albus, rubbing his eyes and sitting up to look at the blond. "Don't tell me you're still sick?"

"Doe," said Scorpius. "I doe'd thingk so. By dose is jusd sdill kide of sduffy."

Albus wouldn't be convinced until he had solid evidence; he pressed a hand to Scorpius's forehead.

"It doesn't feel like you have a fever," said Albus. "How do you feel?"

"Bedder," said Scorpius. "Id's odly by dose dad's sdill bad."

"Well, we'll take your temperature and if your fever really is gone then my mum can give you a Pepper-Up Potion and you'll be good as new."

He leaned over to plant a kiss on Scorpius's lips, but the other boy turned his head so that the peck landed on his cheek instead.

Giving him a slightly confused look, Albus got up and handed Scorpius the thermometer.

As it turned out, Scorpius's fever was gone, so Ginny gave him a Pepper-Up Potion, which cleared his cold right up.

"Thanks Mrs. Potter," said Scorpius once he was able to breath freely again.

"Not at all," said Ginny. "Just take it easy. Your father will have our heads if we let anything else happen to you."

*****TTG*****

It was a beautiful day outside; quite warm, but with a nice breeze that kept it from becoming too hot. After breakfast Albus and Scorpius went out into the yard. Albus climbed onto the first branch of the maple tree while Scorpius leaned against the trunk, his head tilted up toward the sun.

"Come up and sit with me, Scorp," said Albus, patting the branch beside him.

"No, I'd better not," said Scorpius.

"Why not?" asked Albus.

"I—I just had better not," said Scorpius.

Albus slithered down the trunk of the tree.

"Then I'll just have to come down to you" he said, sliding his arms around the blond.

He stood on his tiptoes, intending to kiss his boyfriend teasingly, but Scorpius pushed him gently away.

"No, Al."

Albus looked at him, bewildered and hurt.

"What's wrong?" He tried to move closer to Scorpius again, but the other boy rebuffed him once more.

"Al, we can't."

"We can't what?" said Albus

"We can't—be together," said Scorpius haltingly.

Albus stared at him, uncomprehending. "But—Scorp—you said—"

"I know what I said," said Scorpius. "But it's not going to work."

"Why not?" said Albus indignantly. He took Scorpius's hands. "Look, whatever it is, I'm sure we can work it out—"

"_No_, Al!" said Scorpius, shoving him away again. "It's not what you think." He leaned his forehead against the smooth bark of the maple tree. "There are things you don't know, okay?"

"Then tell me," said Albus softly.

"I can't."

"You _can_," said Albus. "Haven't I shown you that?"

"This is different," said Scorpius, still not looking at Albus.

"Different how?" said Albus, laying his hand gently on Scorpius's shoulder.

Scorpius shrugged it off. "I'm not—I'm not the kind of person you want to date, okay?" he said.

"I think that's a decision I should be able to make for myself," said Albus.

"You'd make this one like this, trust me."

"How can you be so sure if I don't know what it is that you're taking about?" said Albus, getting frustrated. "You kiss me, you tell me you've liked me for months, you make out with me, you say that we're together, you make me feel things I've never felt before, and then you just go and—and change your mind?"

"Al," said Scorpius, "it's not like that—"

"Well that's sure what it seems like to me!" said Albus. "I want to be with you! Please, Scorp, just tell me _why_!"

Scorpius drew a hand across his face. "Do you have a Pensieve?" he asked finally.

"Yes," said Albus, taken aback. "It's in my dad's study. Why?"

"Do you know how to use it?"

"Yeah. Do you want me to ask my dad if we can—?"

"No," said Scorpius quickly. "can you get in without anyone knowing?"

"Y-yes," said Albus. "I guess so... But Scorp, why do you—?"

"Please, Al, let's just go," said Scorpius, afraid he'd lose his nerve if they hesitated any longer.

Feeling very confused and a little uneasy about using his father's study without his permission, Albus led Scorpius upstairs to the Pensieve.

*****TTG*****

Standing in front of the Pensieve, Scorpius hesitated for a moment. He knew that in letting Albus see these memories he was effectively taking the dark-haired boy out of his life forever. It would be so much easier to say forget it and pretend everything was okay, that they could go on being boyfriends, to submit to Albus's gentle, inciting touch, but he knew that wasn't fair to Albus. He had to be honest, at least to this one person, even if it drove that person away from him for good.

"Are you sure you want to see this, Al?" said Scorpius in a flat tone that disguised the tears he was already shedding inside.

Albus nodded mutely, knowing it was too late to turn back now.

Scorpius put his wand to his temple and drew out the silvery strand of memories, depositing it into the basin where they swirled with deceptive innocence.

"Well then," he said, still in that flat tone, "here we go."

Both of them leaned forward until their noses were touching the silvery substance, and then they were falling through nothingness, stopping, just as suddenly as they had started, in a dim room lit only by a few guttering candles.

*****TTG*****

As Albus's eyes adjusted he saw that they were in what must have been the Slytheirn common room, although he had never been there. The floor was carpeted in emerald green, and silver serpents stared down at him from the candelabras on the stone walls. The room was empty, but presently a boy came walking down a staircase at the side of the room; it was a twelve year-old Scorpius. He crossed the room and made to sit down in one of the armchairs by the fireplace, but two figures rose from the sofa next to it and stood in front of him.

"Malfoy," said one of the figures softly. "What brings you here so late at night?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Couldn't sleep," he mumbled.

"Bad dreams?" said the figure consolingly.

Scorpius nodded.

"Here," said the other boy, reaching out a large hand. "Let us help."

The second figure sat back down on the sofa and pulled Scorpius down beside him. One of the candles flared and Albus realized with a jolt that the two boys were none other than Sylvester Nott and Zachary Goyle.

"Er—" said Scorpius, attempting to rise. "I think I'll just go back to bed now actually..."

But Goyle's strong arms tightened their hold, locking the smaller boy in place.

"What? Leaving so soon?" said Nott, reaching out a hand to cup Scorpius's cheek. "But you've just arrived. He smiled wolfishly, his face mere inches from Scorpius's.

"Just let me go to bed," said Scorpius with as much dignity as he could muster, a note of fear creeping into his voice anyway. "I'm really tired."

"Then you should have stayed in bed, shouldn't you?" said Goyle, laughing trollishly.

"Do you know what the word 'fagot' means, Malfoy?" asked Nott, fingering Scorpius's pale hair.

Scorpius shook his head.

"It means a boy who likes to be touched by other boys," said Nott, running his fingertips down Scorpius's cheek and over his pajama-clad chest. "Do _you_ like to be touched by other boys?"

Scorpius shook his head.

"Liar!" breathed Nott, smirking and slipping a finger under Scorpius's collar. "But don't worry, we won't give away your little secret, will we Zach?"

Goyle shook his head.

Nott trailed his fingertips back up to Scorpius's cheek. "Wasn't this a fun little chat? We'll have to do it again some time." And with that Goyle loosened his hold on young Scorpius and shoved him off the couch, so that he nearly stumbled as he raced back to his dormitory.

*****TTG*****

The scene shifted. They were now standing in a side corridor somewhere within Hogwarts. The view out of the window showed it to be late September or early October. A group of third year Slytherins walked past on their way to dinner. Scorpius was at the back of the group, trailing a little behind the others. As they rounded a corner, a hand reached out to grab him.

"Going somewhere, pervert?" said Goyle, leering at him.

Scorpius didn't answer.

"It's polite to answer someone when they ask you a question," said another voice. Nott had come up behind Scorpius, his hands grabbing the younger boy's ass as Scorpius backed away from Goyle.

Nott turned Scorpius to face him, keeping one hand where it was and cupping Scorpius's chin with the other. Scorpius tried to turn his face away, but Nott tightened his hold on Scorpius's chin and lifted him up, slamming him against the wall.

"Haven't you learned yet that everything's easier when you don't struggle?" he asked, slipping his now free hand under Scorpius's shirt and pressing against his chest. Scorpius submitted defeatedly. Nott moved his other hand down Scorpius's robes and over his hips and then out of sight between the younger boy's legs. Scorpius suddenly stiffened.

"Does this feel good?" Nott breathed, as Goyle held firmly onto Scorpius's arms. "Don't lie, you know you want it. You dream about it in your filthy fagot dreams." Scorpius whimpered. Nott bared his teeth in a smile and then pulled back from Scorpius, wiping his hand showily on his robes. "Can't have you fowling up my dinner, can I you little homo?" he said.

"See you around," said Goyle. And the two older boys walked off down the hall.

*****TTG*****

The scene changed once again. They were back in the Slytherin common room. Scorpius was crossing the room, heading toward the exit, when Goyle came up beside him and slung a heavy arm around his shoulders

"Hi, homo," he said conversationally.

Scorpius tried to pull away. "Get off," he said.

Instead, Goyle tightened his grip and practically dragged Scorpius over to the foot of the stairs.

Nott, who had been lounging there, turned to Scorpius with a devilish grin on his face.

"Look who decided to join us, _Prince_ Scorpius Malfoy. We thought you'd forgotten all about us, didn't we Zach?" He made a great show of examining his fingernails before adding. "Feeling a bit ignored, weren't we?"

Goyle chucked mockingly.

Nott reached out one of his hands and gripped Scorpius by the chin, making him shiver.

"It's not nice to ignore your friends," he hissed. "Not nice at all." He squeezed Scorpius's chin, trailing manicured fingernail down his cheek. "Maybe you need a little reminder about how good of _friends_ we are, huh?"

Scorpius shook his head.

"No?" Nott's grin widened. He looked like a shark. "What? Would you rather we—er—_acquaint_ ourselves with your boyfriend instead?"

Scorpius shook his head even harder, a look of panic coming into his eyes.. "He's not my boyfriend!" he said angrily. "And I told you to leave him alone!"

Nott gave a sinister chuckle and turned Scorpius's face to profile, as though judging the quality of livestock. Albus suddenly realized that this must have been the night before he had seen the bruises on Scorpius's face.

"Come on," said Nott, jerking his head toward the staircase, "let's make this a private party."

He let go of Scorpius's face stared up the stairs. Goyle came behind, prodding Scorpius in the back to get him to follow.

The three boys stopped at the fifth year dormitories and Nott let them in, casting Locking and Silencing Charms on the door once Goyle had closed it. Then he turned around languidly to gaze at Scorpius, cocking one plucked eyebrow.

"Have you ever seen a cock before?" he asked, as though commenting on the weather.

Scorpius stood still as stone and didn't answer.

"Cat got your tongue?" purred Nott. "Or did you leave it with your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" yelled Scorpius.

Nott flicked his hand and Goyle grabbed Scorpius from behind, forcing him down onto the bed. He then pulled Scorpius's shirt over his head. Nott, meanwhile, was unbuttoning his trousers.

"Is it how you imagined it?" he asked when he was completely bare.

He yanked off his own shirt and then crossed to the bed and took Goyle's place behind Scorpius, kneeling on the bed so that his bare thighs and crotch were pressed up against the younger boy's naked back. He reached his arms around to Scorpius's front, pressing his hands into the blond's lap.

"Does your boyfriend do this to you?" he asked in a whisper, moving his body up and down against Scorpius's back in a steady rhythm as his fingers moved Scorpius's robes aside and worked themselves in Scorpius's lap. "Do you do this with _him_?"

Scorpius frantically shook his head.

"Does he do _this_?" Goyle asked, sliding his own hands underneath Scorpius's robes.

Scorpius tensed but still made no sound.

Both of the older boys chuckled softly.

"How about _this_?" asked Nott, removing his hands from Scorpius's lap and raking his nails down the boy's arms hard enough to draw blood.

Nott moved out of the way and Goyle gripped Scorpius's chin in one thick-fingered hand, the other hand moving clumsily inside his own trousers, and forced Scorpius to lay down on the bed.

"You sick pervert," said Nott, kneeling on top of Scorpius's legs so that his shining manhood hung down above him. "You twisted little fagot." He took one of Scorpius's hands in his own and guided it from his chest all the way down his naked body.

"Is Potter _that_ good?" he asked, holding Scorpius's hand in place between his legs, forcing him to rub him up and down.

Scorpius still didn't respond. In fact, he seemed to have retreated into himself. His eyes were fastened on the ceiling but he didn't seem to be seeing it.

After a few more minutes Nott and Goyle seemed to finally grow tired of their sport. They drew back and stood up, Goyle rearranging his clothes and zipping his fly, Nott pulling back on his shirt and trousers.

Then, without a backward glance, they canceled the charms on the door and left the room.

Scorpius lay still on the bed for a while longer before he slowly came back to himself. Gingerly he sat up, wiped the stickiness off himself with the bed sheet as best he could, and then redid his own trousers and pulled his shirt over his head. Then he took a moment to rearrange his features into their customary blankness before exiting the dormitory.

*****TTG*****

The world spun dizzyingly and then Albus was back in his father's study. He fell to the ground, retching.

"Albus? Al? Are you okay? Albus!"

Scorpius was kneeling beside him, heedless of the pool of sick at his feet.

"I shouldn't have shown you that. I'm sorry."

Albus wiped his mouth on his sleeve and looked up into Scorpius's face. The other boy was very pale and his pupils were dilated to twice their normal size.

"They—did that—to you—?" he said, feeling sick all over again.

"I told you you'd be disgusted." said Scorpius tonelessly, handing Albus a cup of water.

Albus rinsed his mouth with the water and spat. "Of course I'm disgusted," he said. "But I'm disgusted with _them_, not with _you_!"

"Don't you see?" said Scorpius. "I let them do that to me. I can't—I can't touch you knowing they've already touched me."

"You didn't _let_ them, Scorpius!" said Albus fiercely. "They _forced_ you! _Nothing_ about that was your fault. Understand? _Nothing!_"

"I feel so—dirty," said Scorpius miserably.

Albus sat up on his knees and put his hands softly onto Scorpius's shoulders. "They're the dirty ones. Not you, Scorpius. Never you."

"How can you touch me after seeing that?" said Scorpius. "I can hardly touch me."

Talking the utmost care not to hurt or frighten his friend, Albus drew Scorpius close to him. Scorpius stiffened, but did not pull away.

"What they did to you—it was—terrible—" he said. "No one should have that done to them, no one. But it doesn't make you a bad person. Nothing they did to you could ever change the way I feel about you."

"Do you mean that?" asked Scorpius, not daring to believe it.

Albus drew back and looked into Scorpius's silver eyes.

"More than anything."

Scorpius relaxed into Albus's arms, sobbing. "Al," he muttered over and over again. "Oh, Al..."

Albus held Scorpius tightly, rocking him in his arms and murmuring soothing phrases in his ear.

When Scorpius's sobbing had eased, Albus took him by his hands and drew him to his feet. "This means we're still together, right?" he said.

Scorpius nodded "If you want—"

Albus cut him off by pressing his lips to Scorpius's.

Scorpius clutched Albus's hands tightly and kissed him back passionately, leaning into him.

Albus pulled away gently, brushing Scorpius's tears away with his fingers. "Thank you for showing me," he said. "It's gonna be better now, I promise." He kissed him again softly. "It'll be easier to come out together and—"

"Wait, hold on," said Scorpius, pulling back. "Come out? No way. No one can know, Al. No one can know about me. About us."

"Why not?" said Albus.

"They just can't," said Scorpius.

"But I want to tell people about us," Albus protested.

"No!" said Scorpius. "We have to be a secret. We can't tell anyone."

"Scorp," said Albus, "I'm scared too, but we have to—"

"We don't have to do anything," said Scorpius. "It's just fine how it is. _We're_ just fine how _we_ are."

Albus decided not to push it for the moment.

"Alright, alright," he said. "Let's go back outside. The weather's too nice to be cooped up indoors."

Scorpius smiled, relieved that Albus had let the subject drop.

"Yes, let's," he said.

*****TTG*****

The rest of that Friday and through the weekend was wonderful. Albus and Scorpius hung out outside a lot, sometimes with Lily and/or James, sometimes just the two of them. They climbed the maple tree all the way to the top, went to the park to swing on the swings and spin on the merry-go-round until they were dizzy, and even took a half-day drip to a nearby lake to go swimming, acting for all the world like a couple of normal, carefree, fourteen-year-old boys. But by Monday the secrecy of their relationship was starting to get to Albus, and he decided to raise the subject again.

"Scorp," he said as he hung upside-down off his bed, watching Scorpius, who was seated on the floor, draw maple leaves in his sketchbook. "Why don't you want anyone to know that we're together?"

"It's better this way," said Scorpius.

"It's not," said Albus, flipping rightways up. "I've never been good at keeping secrets or hiding how I feel, you know that. They're bound to find out eventually."

"Not if we're careful," said Scorpius.

"But I don't want to be careful!" said Albus exasperatedly. "I hate how I feel like I'm treading on eggshells whenever we're around anyone else. I want to be able to hold your hand and _kiss_ you!"

"You can," said Scorpius, leaning up and catching Albus's lips with his own. "Just only when we're alone."

He shut his sketchbook. "Now you've broken my concentration," he said teasingly, wrapping his arms around Albus's waist.

Albus gave in and leaned against him, kissing his jaw. "Don't distract me," he muttered, but it was already too late.

*****TTG*****

"Hey, Scorp," said Albus coming up behind the couch that Scorpius was seated in in the living room and putting his arms around his boyfriend's neck.

Lily, seated on the floor across the room, looked up at them and smiled, bobbing her head slightly.

Scorpius started and drew away. "Hi, Al," he said.

Lily's smile turned into a little frown.

Albus sat down next to him so that their legs were touching. Scorpius moved away.

Albus frowned at him. Scorpius jerked his eyes meaningfully at Lily and the rest of Albus's family gathered in the room.

Albus scowled. It had been like this all week. Every time he tried to hold Scorpius's hand or touch his cheek or hug him the other boy had moved away to put distance between them. Distance that was filled with frustration and tension. It was Wednesday evening, Scorpius's father was coming on Friday morning, and Albus still hadn't convinced Scorpius to come out with him. He didn't know how Scorpius had managed to stay in the closet for more than two years. He hadn't even made it a week yet and it was already more than he could stand.

"Scorpius," he said, standing up. "Can I talk to you?"

Scorpius shot him a questioning look.

"Right now, please?"

The two boys left the living room and went up to Albus's bedroom.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" said Scorpius.

"Us," said Albus bluntly. "I can't go on like this."

"Like what?"

"Like _this_!" said Albus. "Pretending we're nothing more to each other than good friends unless we're alone. It's driving me crazy!"

"Albus," said Scorpius, putting his hands on either side of his boyfriend's face.

"That's not going to work this time, Scorp," said Albus, pulling away. "I can't stand having half a relationship with you. Either we're together or we're not."

"Of course we're together—"

"Then people should be allowed to know!"

"They can't!"

"_Why not?"_ demanded Albus. "Are you ashamed of me? Are you ashamed of dating a boy? Of dating a Potter?"

"No, Al, God no," said Scorpius. "I'm so lucky to have you..."

"Well you're sure not acting like it," said Albus.

"Al.."

"Scorpius, I like you. I like you a _lot_. But I just can't _do_ this anymore! If you can't bring yourself to let anyone know about us then—then I'm afraid that there just can't be an us anymore."

Scorpius stood there staring at Albus. He knew by the look on his boyfriend's—his _ex_-boyfriend's he forced himself to think—face that he was serious. His mind started screaming.

"I—I'm sorry, Al. I can't..."

Albus felt like his heart was breaking. "I guess this is it, then," he said.

"I guess so."

There was an awkward pause, and then the two boys left the room and went back downstairs, avoiding each others' gaze.

*****TTG*****

If there had been tension in the Potter house before, it was nothing to what it was now. Everyone noticed it, even James. Albus's family asked him if anything was wrong, if he and Scorpius had had a fight. But he told them no, everything was fine. They didn't believe him of course, but what could they do? Lily and James both tried talking to Scorpius, but he had clammed up again, speaking mostly in mono-syllabic responses.

*****TTG*****

"What should we do today, Scorp? It's your last day here after all."

Scorpius shrugged.

"Er—let's practice Quidditch. James and Lily can play too.

"Sure."

*****TTG*****

"Checkmate."

"Damnit Scorpius, how did you get so good?"

"Practice."

"But I used to beat you all the time!" said Al.

"Maybe you weren't concentrating properly," said Scorpius.

*****TTG*****

It was with a feeling of relief that most of the household went to bed Thursday night, knowing that Draco was going to pick Scorpius up the next morning. Scorpius, however, did not even try to fall asleep. His mind had been working all day; a battle of wills between his head and his heart. Scorpius rested his head on his knees and let the tears course down his face. After everything that had happened over the last seven months, was he just going to give Albus up? But what else could he do? When what Albus wanted was so impossible. He watched Albus sleeping in the bed across the room, remembering just exactly how the dark-haired boy's mouth felt on his, how his arms felt as they held him. He looked so small and gentle, but Scorpius knew that they boy could pack a lot of power if he needed to.

Scorpius fingered the razor blade in his hand. He remembered how Albus had given him the will to live when he had tried to kill himself...had told him it didn't matter that he was gay...had stayed up with him until the other Slytherins had gone to bed...had stood up for him to the other students...had run after him in the rain and told him he liked him too...had convinced him that maybe being abused by Nott and Goyle didn't make him a bad person...had told him he wanted to be with him anyways...

The razor blade clattered to the floor.

"Al, Al, Al!"

Albus was woken by an urgent shaking.

"Albus!"

"What? What is it?" He sat bolt upright, afraid that something was terribly wrong.

Scorpius was kneeling on the side of his bed, his shining hair disheveled, tears coursing down his pale cheeks, his left sleeve rolled up to the elbow.

"I'll do it, I'll tell them!"

Albus sat there, stunned for a moment.

"Scorpius, are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, just tell me it's not too late, I don't want to lose you!"

Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius's shaking form. It had been less than forty-eight hours since he had done it last, but it felt like much longer.

"Of course it's not too late," he said into Scorpius's hair. It was unbelievably soft.

Scorpius clung to him. "I'm sorry Al," he whispered. "Forgive me."

"Nothing to forgive," Albus murmured back as his lips found Scorpius's and he pulled the Slytherin down beside him.

**AN: Long, long, very long. I hope you don't think it's too long. There are only two more chapters left, the denouement of my story really, tying up the loose ends. This chapter was kind of hard to write. I tried not to make the scenes too long or the summary too short, I hope it's satisfactory. I also tried really hard to make the Nott and Goyle scenes show what happened without exceeding my story's T rating since I don't want to have to change it to M. I realize that my definition of each rating is probably a bit more liberal than some, but I think that I succeeded in not stepping over the line.**

**Side note: the line that is this chapter's title, though not originally intended for this chapter, was the number one line that made me stop and go 'wait, this fits so well with my fic!'**

**Remember, I would love to get those wonderful things called reviews from you ;)**

**-SQ**


	20. Oh Darlin', Yeah My Darlin'

**Disclaimer: I only own my plot and OCs, nothing else here. Got that by now?**

**Chapter Twenty: Oh Darlin', Yeah My Darlin'**

"Boys!" said Ginny, pounding on Albus's bedroom door. "Boys! It's time to get up! Scorpius's father will be here in an hour and you need time to have breakfast and pack!"

"_Mu-um,"_ groaned Albus, who hadn't had the most restful night.

"Don't make me come in there and drag you out of that bed," said Ginny threateningly.

That got Albus up in a hurry. Although he did want to tell his parents about his relationship with Scorpius, he didn't think finding them sleeping in the same bed would be the best way for them to find out.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he shouted, rifling around in his drawers for some clothes.

"Is Scorpius up too?" said Ginny.

"Yes, Mrs. Potter," said Scorpius.

"Good. Breakfast is ready. Get dressed and come eat, then you can pack your things."

Her footsteps receded down the stairs.

Scorpius looked over at Albus and gasped. The other boy was in the middle of getting dressed and was only wearing a pair of white briefs.

Albus heard Scorpius's intake of air and looked over at him, blushing.

"Good morning," he said. "I hope you don't mind. I thought, since we're together and all..."

Scorpius shook his head. "No, I don't mind..."

Albus pulled on his trousers and shirt and then walked over to Scorpius.

"You just gonna sit there staring or you gonna get dressed?" he said teasingly.

Scorpius blushed. "Er—I guess I'll get dressed."

"Do you want me to leave?" asked Albus.

"No..." said Scorpius, "but can you—er—look the other way?"

"Can I have a good morning kiss first?"

Scorpius stood up and gave Albus a gentle, lingering kiss on the lips.

"Is that good?" he asked.

Albus nodded. "Better than good," he said, pressing a hand to the exposed skin of Scorpius's chest. Then he gave him a little push. "Now get dressed."

_*****_TTG_*****_

The boys finished dressing and then went downstairs, where Ginny was just serving oatmeal to Harry and Lily. James wasn't present; he was probably still asleep. Lucky bastard.

"Lily," said Ginny. "When you've finished with your breakfast go and get your brother up."

"Why me?" said Lily.

"Because I told you to," said Ginny.

Lily made a face, but finished her oatmeal and then ran up the stairs to wake James.

_*****_TTG_*****_

Since Scorpius's things were still organized almost as neatly as they had been when he had brought them, it didn't take the two boys very long to pack. They still had fifteen minutes before they needed to be downstairs, so they took Scorpius's trunk downstairs and then returned to Albus's bedroom and sat down together on his bed.

"I'm gonna miss you," said Albus, putting an arm around his boyfriend's waist.

"I'm gonna miss you too," said Scorpius. "You'll write to me?"

"Of course. And we'll see each other soon at Hogwarts."

Scorpius lay down so that his head was resting in Albus's lap.

"Al...are we really going to tell our families about us?" he asked.

Albus stroked his fair hair. "We've got to," he said. "All this secrecy is killing me. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me; I want them to _know_."

Scorpius sighed. "You're right, I know you're right, I've just kept everything hidden for so long... I'm scared."

Albus cupped his hand to Scorpius's cheek. "I'm scared too, Scorp. This is all still new to me. But I'm sure they'll understand...they've got to understand..."

"And if they don't?"

Albus swallowed and gripped Scorpius's hand tightly.

"Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said firmly. "You're not alone anymore."

Scorpius sat up and Albus pulled him into a kiss. Scorpius instinctively pressed himself closer to Albus, and Albus responded by opening his mouth and probing Scorpius's lips gently with his tongue. Scorpius hesitated, feeling unsure of what to do, but Albus's hands came up to cup his face softly and his tongue grew more insistent, so Scorpius opened his mouth as well, allowing his boyfriend's tongue to explore his mouth.

After another minute they broke apart. Albus's eyes were shining. "I see why Teddy and Victoire like it so much," he said.

Scorpius grinned shyly.

"Scorpius!" came Harry's voice up the stairs. "Scorpius! Your father is here!"

Albus and Scorpius looked at each other.

"Well," said Albus, rising from the bed and taking Scorpius's hand, "I guess this is it."

The two boys entered the living room, still hand in hand. Their parents were in a kind of triangle; Ginny by the fireplace, Harry by the dining room door, and Draco standing awkwardly in the doorway of the entry hall. James was leaning against the wall close to the staircase. Lily was sitting in an armchair with her feet tucked under her, a smile on her tilted face as she took in her brother and his friend.

Draco broke the silence. "Scorpius. I trust you are feeling better than the last time I saw you."

"Oh yes, Father, much better," said Scorpius.

There was another pause.

"Well," said Draco. "We had best be going. Thank you for having Scorpius to stay, Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

"Please, call me Ginny," said Ginny. "And it was our pleasure."

"Yes," said Harry. "Scorpius is welcome here any time." He hesitated. "As are his parents, of course."

"Thank you," said Draco courteously. "Come, Scorpius, let's go."

Scorpius didn't move.

"Er—" Albus's voice came out thin and squeaky. He cleared his throat. "Dad, Mum, Mr. Malfoy, Scorpius and I have something to say first."

The adults looked at them questioningly. Albus gave Scorpius a little prod in the back.

"Al," he whispered, starting to panic, "I can't do it, I—"

"You _can_," whispered Albus. He pushed Scorpius toward his father.

Scorpius forced himself to meet his father's eyes.

"I—I—" he swallowed. If he was going to do this he was going to do it right, Malfoys didn't stammer. He tried again. "Father, there is a reason that my life was miserable at school beyond people's reaction to the Malfoy name and not me having any friends. One that you don't know about." He paused, trying to gauge his father's reaction, but Draco's face was a blank mask. "A lot of the other students don't like me because they found out that"—he took a deep breath—"I'm gay."

Scorpius inwardly cringed, waiting for the blow to fall. Not that he expected his father to hit him, Draco did not condone corporal punishment, but his words could be just as painful as physical blows when he was angry. And Scorpius could think of very little that would make his father angrier than finding out his only son was gay. Except for maybe the next thing he was going to tell him...

"You're—what?" said Draco.

"I'm gay. I—er—like boys."

Draco's face was frozen in an impassive mask, but behind it his mind was spinning. Scorpius was gay? His only son liked blokes? Where had this come from? How was this possible? What did this mean?

"You can't be serious," he said.

"I am serious, Father," said Scorpius. "I'm gay. I've known since the end of my first year."

"First—and you never told anyone? You never told _me_?"

"Not until I told Albus this year," said Scorpius.

"You told—who else—did you know?" demanded Draco, rounding on the Potters.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Albus told us before Scorpius came here," he admitted.

Draco rounded on his son. "What else have you kept hidden from me? What other things don't I know?"

Scorpius took a faltering step backwards. "I—"

"Mr. Malfoy," said Albus, stepping forward and interlocking his fingers with Scorpius's again. "Mr. Malfoy, he was scared. Scared of what you would say if he told you."

Draco felt the rage drain out of him as quickly as it had come. His son was scared of him. Like he had been of his father when he was child. If he rejected his own son because he liked blokes how was he any better than the father he was trying so hard not to become?

"Scorpius," he said, his words coming out choppily.. "Scorpius...I'm not—angry. Just—very—shocked... I—don't—know... Is that all?"

"No," said Scorpius. "No, there's something else too. I—I have a boyfriend."

"You _what_?" said Draco. "You have a _what_? How—when—_who_?"

"Me," said Albus.

The room went deadly silent. Draco Malfoy's look of shock was reflected on Harry's and Ginny's, faces. The copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ that James was holding clattered to the floor. The only person who did not look surprised was Lily. She was now sitting up on her knees in her chair, her broad grin changing slowly to a look of concern as she eyed her parents' faces.

"I—I don't understand," said James finally.

Albus turned toward his brother, thankful that he had been the first to speak; it was easier to look at him than at his parents.

"Scorpius and I are together. Dating. We have been for a week."

"You—like—boys?" choked James.

"I—I honestly don't know," said Albus. "I've never liked a boy before, but then I've never _really_ liked a girl before either... All I know is that I like Scorpius. And he likes me. And we want to be together. We _are_ together."

On these last four sentences he turned toward his parents, who still hadn't spoken. They had moved closer together and Harry's hand was resting on Ginny's elbow, as if for support.

"Maybe it's just a phase—" said Ginny with the air of someone grasping at straws.

"No, Mum," said Albus, shaking his head. "It's not just a phase. I like Scorpius. A lot. I've liked him for a while now, it just took me a bit to realize it. I don't know if I'm totally gay or not, I don't think I am...but I think that I can safely say I am bisexual. And I _know_ I like Scorpius."

Harry shook his head. "You're too young to know that for sure," he said. "You're too young to date."

"I'm not," said Albus. "Scorpius knew he was gay when he was twelve years old. Mum fell in love with you when she was eleven years old. Plenty of kids my age have girlfriends and boyfriends. James is only a year older than me and he has a girlfriend."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but then closed it again. It was true. As much as he didn't like the idea of his youngest son dating Draco Malfoy's son, it would be hypocritical to disallow it.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "You're dating _Potter_? And you've been sneaking around behind our backs for a week doing who-knows-what—"

"We haven't been doing 'who-knows-what,'" said Albus, blushing. "It's nothing like that at all. And we didn't mean to sneak around behind anybody's back. We just needed a little time to—to figure things out before we came out, that's all."

Lily stood up from her chair and walked over to the two boys standing in the middle of the room.

"_I_ think they're cute together," she declared.

Albus and Scorpius stared at her.

"But—aren't you shocked?" said Albus.

"Why would I be shocked?" said Lily. "Anyone with eyes can see how you two have been looking at each other."

Albus and Scorpius glanced at each other and blushed.

James, who had recovered his book, walked over to stand behind Albus and Scorpius.

"Well," he said. "It wouldn't be my first choice. But if my little brother has to be a poof, at least he picked a decent kid to be with."

The three adults looked at the four children.

Ginny sighed. "Albus, Scorpius, James, Lily, can you give us a minute?"

Albus and Scorpius nodded and the four of them went up the stairs.

Albus and Scorpius went back into Albus's room and sat down heavily on the bed.

"What do you think they're talking about?" said Scorpius.

Albus shook his head. "I don't know."

The two boys put their arms around each other.

"It'll be okay," said Albus, stroking Scorpius's hair softly. "Everything'll be okay."

There was a knock on the door.

"Al?" It was James. "Al? Can I come in?"

"Uh huh," said Albus.

James opened the door and let himself in. His eyes went wide at the sight of Albus and Scorpius wrapped in each others' arms. "Er—"

"Come in," said Albus.

James sat down on the bed beside them.

"I meant what I said." He ran a hand through his hair. "There are worse people you could choose to date than Scorpius. Even if he is a Malfoy and a boy." He grinned crookedly.

"Thanks, James," said Albus, smiling at his brother.

Scorpius nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

"There was no girl, was there?" James said. "When you came and asked me how you knew if you really liked someone you were talking about Scorpius."

Albus nodded.

James ruffled the boys' hair. "Just no—no intense snogging or—or hands all over each other or—being _cute_"—he shuddered—"or whatever else in front of me, okay?"

"Okay," agreed Albus and Scorpius, grinning.

"Al?" said Lily, sticking her head into the room. "Scorp?"

She came in and crawled onto the bed, giving them each a kiss on the cheek.

"So you knew all along, huh?" said Scorpius.

"Yep," she said, smiling. "I wondered how long it would take Al to crack. He's not very good at keeping secrets."

"Hey!"

"Albus?" There was another knock on the door. "May we come in please?"

Albus and Scorpius sat up straight but did not move away from each other.

"Yes."

Ginny, Harry, and Draco came into the bedroom.

They hesitated for a moment, taking in their sons with their arms around each other, the almost defiant looks in their eyes.

Ginny crossed the room first, laying her hand on Albus's dark head

"Albus, honey," she said. "I can't say that I'm happy that you're—"she struggled for a good word—"with Scorpius. It's not that I disapprove. But I don't want you to have to go through the kinds of things the world will throw at you because of it. But it isn't my choice. And I love you and support you no matter what."

Harry gave his son a strained but genuine smile. "Who am I to tell you what to be? I've had people telling me what I'm supposed to be my entire life. If you want to—to date a boy—to date Scorpius, then I won't stop you. I'm not thrilled, but there's nothing wrong with being gay. I'm proud of you for being who you are, Al."

Draco looked at Scorpius. His son looked happy. More comfortable than he had seen him for a very long time. Perhaps ever. Draco knew what his father would say about his grandson's relationship with a Potter, especially a Potter _boy_, but right now he didn't give a fuck what his father thought. And he'd be damned if he let prejudices screw up his son's life anymore than they already had. It cost him a lot to see his son sitting there in the arms of Harry Potter's son, but it cost him more to think of his only child depressed and alone.

"I never thought I'd see the day when my son was dating a Potter," he said. "Or when my son was dating a boy. But...if he truly makes you happy... I said you could be friends with him, and if you want to be more than that...you know how some people will look at you...what they'll think...but if that's a risk you're wiling to take...well, that's your decision. I too have had people telling me who to be all my life. I have nothing bad to say about Albus, and until I do you are—free to—date him."

"Within guidelines of course," he and Ginny added at the same time.

Albus's and Scorpius's faces split into identical smiles.

"Really?"

Their parents nodded.

And then both boys jumped off the bed and ran over to hug their parents. Ginny and Harry hugged Albus back, but Draco stumbled, startled. Scorpius had never hugged him before. There wasn't much physical affection in their household, and what little there was came from Astoria. He patted the boy on the back awkwardly, trying to convey through this gesture the immense love he felt for his son but had never learned how to express.

"Let's not get all sentimental," he said gruffly, feeling touched in spite of himself.

Scorpius pulled back. "Thank you, Father," he said quietly.

"You're welcome, Scorpius," said Draco. "But now we really must be going."

He led the way down the stairs and into the entryway.

"See you soon," said Albus, leaning in and giving the blond boy a tight hug.

"You too," said Scorpius, brushing the dark-haired boy's lips with a soft kiss.

They gave each other one last squeeze and then broke apart.And then the two Malfoys left number 12 Grimmauld Place, closing the door behind them.

*****TTG*****

The rest of the summer passed relatively uneventfully, especially compared to the two weeks during which Scorpius had stayed with the Potters. The two boys wrote letters back and forth and enjoyed the rest of their holidays with their families.

Astoria shocked Scorpius by telling him that she had always suspected that he might be gay, but hadn't known how to raise the topic and had always assumed that if he was he would come to her when he was ready.

Scorpius Draco, and Astoria decided not to tell Draco's parents about Scorpius's sexual orientation just yet. They would find out in good time, and when they did they suspected that Narcissa would take it a little bit better than Lucius.

Albus, of course, still had the rest of his extended family to come out to. His generation were easiest. While it came as quite a surprise to most of them, they were generally in favor of his dating Scorpius because, as Fred put it, "When it comes right down to it they just fit well together, don't you think?"

The adults took the news with varying degrees of acceptance which was, if not exactly warm, at least understanding. Albus's grandfather and Uncle Ron found it the hardest to come to terms with. Not Albus's homosexuality, which they took with good, if a little thrown, grace, but rather his choice of boyfriends. But Albus's father assured him that they would come around in time and, as Albus had expected this reaction from them, he knew he would just have to wait.

*****TTG*****

Meanwhile, it was time for school to start again.

"Albus! James! Lily!" Ginny stood at the foot of the steps with her hands on her hips. "If you don't come down _now_ you're going to miss the train!"

James's head appeared around the corner at the top of the stairs.

"If we miss the train can we fly a car to school?" he asked.

"_No,"_ said his mother firmly.

"Aw, come on," said James. "Dad and Uncle Ron did it!"

"Just because your father did something while he was at school does _not_ mean it is a good idea," said Ginny. "Tell your brother and sister to get down here."

Ten minutes later, after a very hurried breakfast of toast and juice, all five of them were piled into the car and on their way to King's Cross Station.

Albus couldn't stop a big grin from forming on his face. In less than an hour he would be seeing his boyfriend again. He bounced his leg up and down.

"Will you stop doing that, Al?" said James irritably. He was never very pleasant in the mornings.

"Sorry," said Albus, not sounding particularly sorry.

James scowled at him.

_*****_TTG_*****_

As soon as Albus was through the barrier between platforms nine and ten he rose up onto his tiptoes to try and catch a glimpse of Scorpius over the heads of all the other students. Unfortunately, many of those heads were still too tall for him to see over. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Looking for someone?"

"Scorp!" Albus grinned and flung his arms around his boyfriend, and Scorpius hugged him back. But when Albus went to kiss him he pushed him away.

"Not here!" he said.

"Why not?"

"Everyone's watching!"

"So? We're out now, aren't we?" said Albus.

"Not at school we're not," said Scorpius.

Albus looked at Scorpius with a sinking sense of disappointment. "You can't be serious. I don't to secrets Scorp! I won't hide!"

"Al!" Scorpius pulled him back. "I never said I—I wouldn't come out at school, okay? I just...I don't know if now is the time..."

"Then when is the time?" said Albus.

Scorpius shook his head. "I don't know."

Albus thought for a moment. "How about we just, you know, let them figure it out for themselves?"

"What do you mean?" said Scorpius.

"We don't 'come out' persay," said Albus. "We just...are. No fuss."

"No fuss?" said Scorpius.

Albus nodded.

"I like that... but can we still be...you know...discrete?"

"But not secretive," said Albus.

"No, not secretive," agreed Scorpius.

Albus took Scorpius's hand in his. "Okay then, love, let's go find a compartment."

*****TTG*****

Albus and Scorpius were joined in their compartment by Asher, Jerry, and Morgan.

"Hey, Al. Hi Scorp," they said, sitting down across from Albus and Scorpius. "How's it going?"

"Good," said Albus, smiling.

Scorpius smiled too. "Very good."

Asher, Jerry, and Morgan looked at them strangely.

"What are you two so happy about?" asked Jerry.

"Oh, you know..." said Albus vaguely. "Nothing important..." He giggled.

Scorpius kicked him.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?"

Scorpius just smirked.

The other three looked confused.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm missing something?" said Asher.

The five friends continued to share stories of their summers and catch up on the latest news. Over the course of the conversation Albus casually let his hand drift up until it was resting on Scorpius's thigh. Scorpius covered it with his own and they shared a look before Scorpius gently placed it down on the bench again. He did not, however, remove his own hand from Albus's.

"How about you, Al?" said Morgan. "What did you do over the summer?"

"Oh, nothing too terribly exciting," he said. "Scorpius came to stay at my house for two weeks near the beginning of the summer."

"Cool," said Asher. "Did you two do anything fun?"

"Er—" said Albus, looking sideways at Scorpius.

"Well—" said Scorpius.

"You could say that..."

"What is going _on_ with you two?" demanded Jerry.

The color rose to their cheeks. Scorpius nudged Albus's foot with his. Albus nudged him back.

"Are you two playing _footsie_?" said Morgan incredulously.

"Hey, not fair!" said Albus as Scorpius grabbed his arm and held it behind his back. "That's cheating!"

"I _am_ a Slytherin," said Scorpius with a grin. "We don't play fair."

Albus grabbed for Scorpius's and began to tickle him.

The two boys suddenly became aware of their friends eyes on them.

Morgan's eyebrows had shot up into her hair. "Are you two—"

"Together?" finished Asher and Jerry.

Albus and Scorpius let of of each others' arms.

"Er—yeah," said Albus.

"I didn't know you fancied blokes," said Asher.

"Neither did I," said Albus.

"How long—?"

"Since I stayed with Al this summer," said Scorpius. "But I've—er—kind of liked him for longer than that."

Their three friends looked at each other and shrugged.

"I know a few girls whose hearts will be broken," said Morgan with very little sympathy. "Poor dears."

"More for us, man," said Jerry, grinning at Asher.

"Alright!" said Asher, pumping his fist in the air.

_I have great friends_, thought Albus as he reached over to trail his fingers along the back of Scorpius's neck.

*****TTG*****

The rumors slowly began to trickle through the school. Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy had been seen holding hands in the corridor, feeding each other tarts at dinner, disappearing together into empty corridors, exchanging meaningful glances during class. Were they together? Were they dating? Scorpius Malfoy was gay; at least, that's what the Slytherins said. Was Albus? Of course not! But he'd never had a girlfriend. Maybe he was bisexual? The small group of people who were close enough to the two boys in question to know the real answers weren't talking, so it was up to the rest of the school to speculate on what did or did not exist between the Slytherin and the Gryffindor.

Some people, however, didn't do speculation.

"Hey, puffer-boy."

Someone grabbed Scorpius's shoulder and spun him around and he and Albus came face to face with Sylvester Nott.

Scorpius felt himself go cold. _No,_ he thought. _No, please..._

"We've been hearing some interesting stories about you and Potter," said Nott, a sickening smile on his face. His eyes flickered to Albus. "Haven't we, Zach."

"Fuck off," said Scorpius weakly, putting a protective arm around Albus.

"Ooo-ooh, such language," said Nott, his smile widening. He raised one long-fingered hand to Scorpius's cheek.

Something inside of Scorpius snapped. He was done letting Nott and Goyle push him around. And he wasn't going to let them go after Albus too. He angrily slapped Nott's hand away.

"You keep your filthy hands off of him!" Ablus spat at the same moment.

"Oh, you've caught yourself a feisty one," said Nott, while Goyle behind him chuckled appreciatively. "I like his fire." He licked his lips and extended his hand toward Albus.

"I said fuck off!" said Scorpius, more strongly this time.

Nott narrowed his eyes and Goyle barred his teeth.

"Been having fun with your _boyfriend_, fagot?" Goyle hissed.

Scorpius stared at him defiantly. "Yeah," he said, "maybe I have."

Then he grabbed Albus by the lapels and pulled him into a fiery kiss.

Albus was momentarily stunned, but he recovered quickly and returned the kiss, which Scorpius proceeded to deepen, pressing both his lips and his body hard against Albus, one hand looped around the other boy's waist, the other one tangled in his hair. Albus opened his mouth and Scorpius willingly pulled his tongue inside, meeting it with his own.

After an indefinite amount of time the boys broke apart and turned to face the staring crowd.

Nott and Goyle were gaping, their mouths moving without making any sound. The rest of the school was wearing various expressions ranging from shocked to triumphant to impressed.

Then James's voice yelled over the silence, "Yeah! Go Scorpius!"

"Alright, Al!" added Rose.

"You show them!" said Roxanne, shouldering her way through.

Jerry and Morgan whistled while Asher pumped his fist in the air.

Molly, Lucy, and Dominique started clapping. Lily and Hugo were jumping up and down, cheering.

Slowly, other students began clapping and cheering, until the entire entry hall was filled with noise. Nott and Goyle had disappeared.

Albus and Scorpius looked at each other.

"Wow," said Albus.

Scorpius looked a little shocked himself at what he had done. "That felt good," he said.

"Wanna do it again?" asked Albus.

Scorpius grinned. "Maybe we could—ah—make it a little more private this time?" he said, jerking his head toward an empty corridor.

"After you," said Albus with a joking bow.

**AN: Only one more chapter to go!**

**Reviews not required (how could I make them required anyway?) but **_**greatly**_** appreciated!**


	21. Everything is Turning to Gold

**Author's Note: Gah! Last Chapter! I almost didn't want to write this chapter, because that means it's over. But, of course, you want to know what happens, or at least I hope you do :) Just a heads-up, the last scene is a sex scene. As you can see, it's still rate T, so there's nothing terribly graphic, and I shouldn't think that this scene would be objectionable after the Nott and Goyle scene, since this time it's definitely consensual, but just so you know, that's what the last scene will be.**

**-SQ**

**Disclaimer: Come on, you know what's not mine**

**Chapter Twenty-one: Everything is Turning to Gold**

_Albus,_

_I'm afraid I owe you an apology. My reaction when you came out to Hermione and me was, as Hermione has persisted in telling me, out of line. I want you to know that I don't have any problems with you being gay. I mean, if you fancy blokes that's fine with me, to each his own. _

_As for your particular choice of boyfriend... I can't say I'm pleased. I still can't understand how you could choose to be friends with a Malfoy, let alone date one. Ugh. BUT. It is not my place to judge. I acted hastily and irrationally, and, as much as I hate to admit it, the young Malfoy does seem a halfway decent bloke. _

_In any case, I love you no matter who you choose to date, and I hope that you are happy. (If not I'll hex him for you, whatever your Aunt Hermione says)_

_-Uncle Ron_

_Dear Albus,_

_Forgive an old man for his prejudices. However I feel about the Malfoy family (and it is not favorably) I should never have acted the way I did when you came out to your grandmother and I. That was a very courageous thing for you to do. Though many of our generation do not support homosexuality, I assure you that my negative feelings were never due to the fact that you prefer boys. I will never like the Malfoy family, there is too much history between them and I, and Lucius Malfoy is an evil Death Eater. But I hope for your sake that the youngest Malfoy is different from his grandfather._

_-Your loving Grandfather_

Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy were officially an item. Scorpius was a little shocked to find that the majority of the school was cool with it. Sure, some of the third and fourth year girls were pretty let down by the fact that Albus was no longer available (and seemingly not interested even if he had been), but Scorpius had been expecting a deluge of abuse due to the fact that he was gay. It seemed, however, that most of the school didn't find that much of an issue, even many students in his own house didn't. People were quite surprised at their openness, since there weren't any other gay couples were were quite that demonstrative of their relationships at Hogwarts, but Scorpius's group of Slytherin tormentors did not represent the views of the entire student body.

*****TTG*****

The first term of their fourth year went by with surprising speed and soon it was the Christmas Holidays.

"I can't believe it's going to be a whole two weeks before I see you again," said Albus as he and Scorpius shared a last few minutes together before the Hogwarts Express reached platform 9 ¾. "Do you really have to go and visit your relatives?"

"Yes, love, I really do," said Scorpius, cupping Albus's cheek in his hand. "I'll miss you." He wrapped his free arm around his boyfriend's waist.

Albus pressed himself closer to Scorpius and slid his hand down the other boy's shirt. "I'll miss you too," he said, "but we'll see each other soon. And I'll write to you.

Scorpius closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Albus's shoulder.

"Hey," said Albus gently. "You're okay. It's only two weeks." He kissed him softly on the cheek.

"I know," said Scorpius.

He tilted his face up and caught Albus's lips with his. The dark-haired boy returned the kiss passionately, pushing his boyfriend up against the seat as he devoured his lips and tongue. Scorpius slid his hands up Albus's back under his shirt and pulled him down to him by his shoulders. Albus laced his fingers through Scorpius's silky hair as the two of them rolled over on the bench so that Albus was laying on top of Scorpius, their chest pressed together.

Albus raised himself up on his elbows, breathing heavily.

"You'll owl me right away if you have anymore nightmares, right?" he said, touching Scorpius's face tenderly.

Scorpius's nightmares had drastically decreased since he had started going out with Albus, and even more so since they had publicly come out, but he was still visited by the occasional terrible dream. This concerned Albus a great deal, since in most other aspects Scorpius had improved to the point where you would hardly recognize him as the damaged boy Albus had befriended in the hospital wing last year.

Scorpius nodded. "I will," he said. "I promise.

Albus laid his head on Scorpius's chest.

"We ought to gather our things," he said, "we're nearly there."

The two boys rose and got their trunks down from the racks as the train pulled into the station.

At the edge of the platform they turned to each other one last time.

"Have a good Christmas, Al," said Scorpius.

"You too, Scorp," said Albus.

They wrapped their arms around each other and shared a brief kiss.

"You'll have so much fun you won't have time to miss me," said Albus, squeezing Scorpius's hands.

"Don't count on it," said Scorpius, returning the gesture.

"Eurgh! I think I'm gonna be sick," said James, coming up behind them.

Albus scowled at his older brother. "Piss off, James," he said. He turned back to Scorpius. "See you in two weeks." He leaned in to give Scorpius another peck on the lips and then turned and followed James toward his waiting family.

*****TTG*****

Scorpius wouldn't have called the first week of his vacation exactly fun, but it wasn't too bad either. He missed Albus of course, but there really was so much going on that he didn't have much time to dwell on the fact.

Every year Draco, Astoria, and Scorpius would spend the Christmas holidays with either Astoria's parents or Draco's parents. This year it was the Malfoy side of the family's turn.

When they arrived at Malfoy Manor, Scorpius's grandmother Narcissa fussed over him as usual while his grandfather gave him a cordial greeting. Scorpius's relationship with his grandfather had aways been strained, and now there was the unspoken shadow of the events of the previous year, at least some of which Lucius knew about.

"Scorpius, dear, look how you've grown!" said Narcissa, spinning Scorpius around so that she could get a good look at him. "We must take you shopping so that you can be fitted for new dress robes for the Christmas Ball."

Every year Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy attended a grand Christmas ball, mostly with the remaining members of the old pureblood families. Scorpius had never enjoyed the Christmas Ball too much; the other pureblood children and he had never gotten on very well, and he always felt like he had to act very stiff and grown up. Still, it was very important to his parents and grandparents, as they felt it proved that they were still a part of the high society.

*****TTG*****

Christmas Eve at Grimmauld place was a hectic affair. After spending the last week frantically running around trying to buy presents for each other without their intended recipients seeing, the entire Potter/Weasley/Lupin family gathered at number 12 Grimmauld Place for a dinner cooked by the Potter and Weasley women. There were so many of them by this point that they tended to get in each others' way while preparing dinner, and the men and children knew to steer clear of the kitchen if they wanted to keep their heads firmly attached to their bodies.

*****TTG*****

The Christmas Ball this year was being hosted by Carmichael and Tracey Warrington. Scorpius and his family arrived at the Warrington estate promptly at eight o'clock and proceeded through the open double doors into the house. While his parents and grandparents went off to socialize with the other adults, Scorpius stood against he wall, casting his gaze about for anyone he knew.

"Hello Scorpius." Helaina Bole, a tall, thickset Slytherin fifth year with long straight chocolate brown hair had come up next to him.

"Hello Helaina," said Scorpius. Helaina had never been one of his tormentors, but rather one of the students who had simply ignored him during his first three years at Hogwarts. Now she was decently pleasant to him, and though they wouldn't have considered themselves friends, they got along fairly well.

"How are you?" said Helaina, sipping a glass of what looked like champagne.

"I'm okay," said Scorpius. "You?"

"Pretty good," said Helaina, shrugging. "Having a good holiday?"

"Yeah."

They were silent for a minute.

Helaina broke the silence. "How's Potter?"

"He's good," said Scorpius.

Helaina nodded but didn't say anything else.

Another girl came up to them. She was shorter than Helaina, and slighter, with hair dyed in stripes of red, white, and black. She was holding two glasses of punch.

"Hey, Tiara," said Helaina, waving to her. Tiara Belby was Helaina's best friend and also one of the members of Scorpius's house with whom he now got on fairly well.

"Hi, Helaina. Oh, hello Scorpius. I brought you some punch, Helaina."

"Nah," said Helaina, "I've got something better." He indicated her goblet.

Tiara shrugged. "I don't want two. You want it Scorpius?"

"Sure," said Scorpius. "Thanks." He took the class of punch and sipped it, noting the strong, fruity flavor.

"Well, see you around, Scorpius," said Helaina.

"Yeah, see you," said Tiara.

"Bye," said Scorpius as the two girls walked off across the room.

The evening continued in this manner. Scorpius had several conversations with other Hogwarts students whom he was on civil terms with, but mostly kept to himself.

It was past ten o'clock when a much less welcome voice reached his ears.

"She'd be fun to do though, full of fire!"

"Wouldn't she just! Wonder if she's as good as she looks..."

The two boys came into sight and stopped talking as they noticed Scorpius.

"Well, well, well," said Zachary Goyle in a slurred voice. "What have we here?"

"It's our dear friend Malfoy," said Sylvester Nott, his eyes slightly unfocused as he gazed at Scorpius.

"Fuck off," said Scorpius, and he turned on his heal and disappeared into the crowd.

For the remainder of the party Scorpius was on the lookout for Nott and Goyle, quickly heading in the other direction whenever he saw the two older boys. His nerves were quite frayed by the time he left for his grandparents' house at midnight, so he wasn't all that surprised when he woke up in a cold sweat at four in the morning.

Scorpius sat in his bed for several minutes, shivering. As usual, he couldn't recall much of what the dream had been about, but he had a vague idea that it had had to do with Nott and Goyle.

Finally he gave up on trying to get back to sleep. He went over to his desk and pulled out a quill and some parchment.

_Dearest Al,_

_Well, first of all, Merry Christmas! I miss you and I hope you have an amazing day with all of your family._

_You told me to write to you if I had another nightmare. I don't remember what it was about really, as per usual, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Nott and Goyle. I saw them at the Christmas Ball. Nothing happened, I promise, I'm fine. But you wanted to know if I had any nightmares._

_Here is your Christmas present by the way. I hope you like it._

_Many Kisses_

_-Scorpius_

*****TTG*****

Albus reread the letter that Scorpius had sent him for the third time. It was early in the morning; his cousins who were sharing his room with him were all still asleep. Albus sat down on the edge of his bed and ran a hand through his hair. Scorpius had tried to make light of it, but Albus knew that he wouldn't have written to him unless he had been really scared and upset by the dream, no matter what he had promised. He wished he could be there to comfort his boyfriend. He stared at the letter. Nott and Goyle. He wanted to kill those bastards. They had assaulted Scorpius and now they were waltzing around at parties without a care in the world. Albus ground his teeth. He couldn't stand the thought of them out there enjoying themselves while Scorpius was still in pain from what they had done to him.

"Al?" His younger cousin Hugo sat up sleepily. "Is it time to get up?"

Albus folded up Scorpius's letter and tucked it into his shirt. There was nothing he could do about it now in any case.

"Probably," he said. "I bet Lily'll be in here any minute to wake us up."

Hugo grinned and scrambled out of bed. "Nuh uh! I've got to help her!" he said.

*****TTG*****

Christmas with the Potters and Weasleys (and Lupin) was as fun and exciting as ever. It was late in the afternoon when all of the guests, full of pudding and laden down with presents, left Grimmauld Place for their own homes. Ginny immediately set Albus, James, Lily, and Harry to help her clean the place up, after which they fell into bed, exhausted. So it wasn't until the next day that Albus remembered about Scorpius's letter.

Unfolding the piece of parchment, Albus bit his lip. He had promised not to tell anyone about the memories Scorpius had shown him in the Pensieve, and Scorpius was doing alright. And yet...Albus couldn't shake the feeling that keeping the secret wasn't helping his boyfriend. Nott and Goyle deserved to be punished, for Scorpius's sake, and for the sake of anyone else they might decide to torment in the future. This thought was what was gnawing at Albus as he thought about his promise to Scorpius. He had made such a promise once before, and it had nearly resulted in the loss of Scorpius's life.

*****TTG*****

There were several times over the next few days that Albus came close to telling his father about Scorpius and Nott and Goyle. He even contemplated writing to Scorpius's own father and telling him. But the time just never seemed right. He thought about talking to James too, but he knew he needed to tell an adult, not just his older brother.

*****TTG*****

"Mum," said James, sliding down the banister and nearly knocking over the end table on the landing, "why have you set an extra spot for dinner?"

"Teddy is coming over for dinner tonight," said Ginny, slapping his fingers away as he tried to snatch a piece of the pineapple she was cutting. "And that's for dessert, mister."

James's pout turned into a grin. "Teddy's coming? Alright!"

Albus poked his head into the room. "Teddy's coming for dinner?" Of course, why hadn't he thought of him sooner?

*****TTG*****

"Teddy?" said Albus to his godbrother as they got up from the dinner table. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

Teddy gave him a curious look. "Of course, Al."

They went up to Albus's room and sat on his bed.

"What is it?" asked Teddy, eying his youngest godbrother in concern. "Is something wrong?"

"No—yes—not with me," said Albus. He bit his lip. "Teddy...if you had made a promise to someone, someone that you cared about very much, but you thought that you could help them more by breaking the promise than by keeping it, what would you do?"

"Well, it depends on the promise," said Teddy carefully. "Would keeping the promise put anyone in danger?"

"I don't know," said Albus, "maybe."

Teddy laid a hand on Albus's shoulder. "I think you'd better tell me, Al."

Albus hesitated and then met Teddy's eyes, which were currently a warm, dark purplish blue.

"When Scorpius was here over the summer we went into Dad's study and he showed me some memories in the Pensieve," said Albus. "He was assaulted by some guys in his house—taunted and—and touched..."

Teddy's eyes went wide. "Al, are you sure?"

"Positive," said Albus. "I saw it. In his memories."

"Did they rape him?" asked Teddy in a horrified hushed voice.

"No," said Albus. "But they touched him and they made him touch them. They started when he was only twelve...and it kept getting worse...it really messed him up, Teddy."

Teddy put his arms around his godbrother, who had started crying. "Thank you for telling me," he said.

"I p-promised Scorpius that I wouldn't tell anyone," said Albus. "But I had to. They're still out there. They haven't been punished—and they could do it again. To him or to someone else. And the last time Scorpius made me promise not to tell anyone something I listened...and he tried to kill himself."

"Shhhh, shhhh," said Teddy, holding Albus against him. "You did the right thing, in telling me."

"I don't want him to be hurt anymore," said Albus. "And I don't want them to hurt anyone else."

"Do you know who it was?" asked Teddy. "Do you know who the boys were?"

Albus nodded. "Sylvester Nott and Zachary Goyle."

"Al," said Teddy. "We're going to have to tell your dad, you know that right? The school needs to know, and so do Scorpius's parents."

"Oh Merlin, he's gonna hate me," said Albus.

"He's not going to hate you," said Teddy soothingly. "You're doing this because you care about him."

Albus wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "I know. Teddy, will you tell Dad with me?"

"Of course," said Teddy, standing up and offering Albus his hand.

They walked down the stairs together.

"Harry?" said Teddy. "Can we speak with you for a minute."

Harry took one look at his son and godson and knew that something was wrong. Excusing himself from a very curious Ginny, he followed the other two up into his study.

"Teddy, Al, what is it?" he asked urgently. "Did something happen?"

Teddy sat down. "Albus just told me something pretty important, Harry," said Teddy. "He just told he that Scorpius was sexually assaulted by some of the other Slytherins"

Harry caught his breath. He looked to Albus for confirmation. The boy nodded.

"How did you find this out?" he asked in a choked voice.

"Scorpius showed me," said Albus. "In your Pensieve."

Harry stood and hugged his son tightly. "You mean..." he said, horrified, "you saw...?"

Albus nodded into his father's shoulder.

"It was awful, Dad."

Harry hugged his son tighter. "Go to bed, Al" he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "I'm going to to talk to Draco and Professor McGonagall." His mind was already working quickly. They'd need the word of Scorpius Malfoy as well, but he didn't doubt his son for a minute.

*****TTG*****

Harry quickly wrote a letter to Draco Malfoy:

_Draco Malfoy,_

_There is something urgent that I need to talk to you about. It concerns your son._

_-Harry Potter_

_*****_TTG_*****_

"What is this about my son?" said Draco, stepping out of the fireplace in Harry's study.

Harry turned in his chair to face him.

"Draco, please sit down."

"I want to know what you have to say about my son!"

"Draco," started Harry. "Albus came to me this evening and told me something very...disturbing. Scorpius shared some memories with him while he was staying here. Memories of him being sexually abused by Sylvester Nott and Zachary Goyle."

Draco staggered back. No. No, this couldn't be true. Not his son. Not his little boy.

Harry read the denial on his face. "It fits, Draco," he said quietly. "You know it does. The fact that he's been traumatized in some way...in _that _way...you are obviously a good father to him, so something must have happened at school to drive him to what he did last year...something he kept from you..."

Draco slumped into a chair, head in his hands. "It was only that he was gay...he said that they teased him for being gay..."

"Yes," acknowledged Harry. "That may have well been how it started."

"Scorpius," Draco said. "My son...how could they do this to my son?"

Harry stood and awkwardly placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Talk to him," he said softly. "And I'm going to go to McGonagall. We won't let them get away with this."

"How could I let this happen?" Draco nearly sobbed.

"It isn't your fault," said Harry firmly.

"I should have been more there for him..."

"Draco, stop it," said Harry. "Talk to him now. Then as soon as the holidays end we can take it up with the school."

Draco stood and nodded, getting a hold of himself with great difficulty. "Thank you for calling me here, Harry," he said.

*****TTG*****

"Scorpius."

Scorpius looked up from where he was sprawled on his bed, drawing in his sketchbook.

"Can I speak with you for a minute?"

"Er—yeah—I mean, yes Father," said Scorpius, slightly confused. His father almost never came into his bedroom, and they rarely had real talks.

Draco sat down at Scorpius's desk while Scorpius sat up on his bed.

"Scorpius," started Draco, running a hand through his platinum blond, receding hair. "I know I haven't been the best father in—in a lot of respects...and I haven't shown you the affection I should have when you were young...but you do know that I—love you, don't you?"

"Of—of course, Father," said Scorpius, feeling shocked. His father was not one to talk about his emotions.

Draco reached out a hand and touched Scorpius on the shoulder. "I would like to think that if—if something bad were to ever happen to you, you would feel comfortable coming to me or your mother about it."

Scorpius looked at his father, an uneasy feeling creeping into the pit of his stomach. "What—what do you mean, Father?"

"Scorpius," said Draco, "I just spoke with Albus's father. He told me that Albus came to him about—about some memories that you showed him. Memories of you being"—he swallowed—"sexually assaulted by young Nott and Goyle."

Scorpius was on his feet without remembering how he got there. "I don't know what you're talking about, Father," he said in a panicked voice. "Nothing happened. Nothing!"

"Scorpius," said Draco, also rising. His son's reaction was enough to confirm Potter's story. "Scorpius, son, you can tell me."

"No! Nothing happened! Al had no right to tell! It's my problem!"

"Scorpius, we have to tell Headmistress McGonagall. I won't let boys who would do that to my son get away with it."

"Leave it be, Father," pleaded Scorpius. "It's over."

"It is obviously not over," said Draco, putting a hand on his son's shoulder. "Don't make this harder than it already is. Please Scorpius."

In all his almost fifteen years Scorpius had never heard his father plead before. Draco wrapped his arm around Scorpius and Scorpius leaned into him.

"You should have told us," said Draco, still holding his son.

"I don't want to talk about it," Scorpius mumbled.

*****TTG*****

Albus stepped onto platform 9 ¾ and immediately looked around for Scorpius. He hadn't eaten anything for breakfast and his stomach felt like there were a whole bunch of spiders and caterpillars crawling around inside it. When he finally caught sight of Scorpius in the crowd his heart sank even further; the other boy did not look happy to see him.

"Scorp—"

"Don't talk to me," snapped Scorpius.

Albus fought the urge to break into tears right there. "Scorp I had to—"

"You promised!"

"I know, but—"

"You lied to me!"

"Please, just listen—"

Scorpius turned to walk away, but Albus grabbed the sleeve of his robes.

"Get off me!"

"Scorpius! Please understand! I had to do it, I had to! I couldn't let them just go free out there. They hurt you and they deserve to be punished for it. What if they did it again? To you, or to some other boy? What if I knew and I could have stopped it but I didn't? I made that mistake once, I'm not going to do it again!" His face crumpled as he failed to hold the tide of tears back.

"Albus..."

"I d-didn't want to break my promise b-but I couldn't just do n-nothing. If s-something happened bec-cause of it I could n-never forgive myself. And n-now you h-hate me."

"Albus," said Scorpius, "Albus, I never said that—"

"B-but you d-don't want to d-date me anymore. B-but I _h-had_ to—I knew you'd h-hate me but I _h-had_ to!"

"Albus, I don't hate you!" said Scorpius in distress, gripping the shorter boy's arms.

Albus just sobbed harder.

"God, Al—don't cry. I don't hate you, I don't! Al, you're making a scene..." He wrapped an arm around Albus. "I don't hate you, I'm just mad at you. Couldn't you have—at least asked me?"

"You would have said no," was Albus's muffled response.

Scorpius couldn't deny it. "I didn't want to bring it back up again."

"You still have nightmares about it," said Albus. "It's not right for them to get away with that. Even if—even if it means you won't date me anymore."

"I never said that, Al," said Scorpius. "I never said I didn't want to date you any more." He kissed Albus's cheek softly. "Please don't cry. I—understand why you did it...I just...I wish you hadn't...but it's too late now I guess...please Al, don't cry like that!"

Albus was still sobbing into Scorpius's chest. His breath hitched and he looked up.

"I won't apologize for what I did," he said.

"I know," said Scorpius heavily. "And I'm still upset. But I'm not breaking up with you, okay?"

"Okay," said Albus, smiling a little. He pressed his lips up into Scorpius's.

The train whistle blew.

"Come on," said Scorpius, breaking the kiss but not taking his arm from around Albus. "The last thing we need is for the train to leave without us."

*****TTG*****

The first week and a half of the new term went by normally without any more mention of Nott and Goyle. Albus and Scorpius's relationship was a little strained, but only the people who were closest to them noticed it, and they were smart enough not to say anything.

Then, halfway through the second week, a second year came into Albus's Transfiguration class.

"Er—sorry, Professor," said the second year. "Professor McGonagall wants to see Albus Potter in her office."

"Can it wait until after class is over?" said Professor Patil.

"No," said the first year. "She said she wants to see him now."

"Very well, Potter, you may go," said Professor Patil, turning back to the class.

Albus stood and gathered his bags. He had an idea what was coming.

His suspicions were confirmed when he arrived at the entrance to the Headmistress's office and saw Scorpius also arriving.

"Er—hi," said Albus, trying to break the tension.

Scorpius didn't say anything.

The stone gargoyle jumped aside and Professor McGonagall appeared. They followed her up to her office, where Draco, Harry, and Teddy were waiting.

"Potter, Malfoy, sit down," said Professor McGonagall, waving her arm at a couple of chairs.

Albus and Scorpius sat.

"I suppose that there's no point in beating around the bush," said Professor McGonagall, sitting down at her desk. "Mr. Malfoy, your father, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Lupin have brought some very serious allegations against two of your house-mates." She laid a gentle hand on his arm. "Can you tell me what happened between you and Mr. Nott and Mr. Goyle?"

Scorpius swallowed. "I—I—nothing—nothing happened."

"Scorpius," said Professor McGongall. "I am appalled that something of this nature could occur at my school, but we can't take any action against them if you don't speak up about it. I promise that nothing will happen to you."

"You don't have to do anything about it," said Scorpius.

"Scorpius," said Teddy, kneeling down. "We want to help you."

"I don't need your help!" snapped Scorpius.

"Scorp," said Albus softly. "Scorpius, love, please. Don't you want those gits punished? You can stop them. You can stop them from terrorizing you and from targeting someone else. Nothing will happen to you if you tell, I promise. I won't let it."

He pulled the reluctant Scorpius into his arms. "You're safe," he whispered. "We can't let them get away with this."

Scorpius nodded almost imperceptibly. He raised his head and looked at Professor McGonagall. "Nott and Goyle," he said in a steady, emotionless voice, "touched me. Took their clothes off and made me touch them and look at them. Threatened me. Threatened Albus..." It was only on this last sentence that his voice cracked, and he glanced at his boyfriend.

Draco Malfoy looked sick. Harry took a step toward him and put a supportive hand on his back. Teddy looked like he was about to cry. Professor McGonagall squeezed Scorpius's shoulder, anger blazing in her eyes.

"Thank you for telling me," she said in a steely voice. "You may go. You don't have to go back to classes today if you don't want to."

*****TTG*****

Albus and Scorpius were on edge for the next few weeks. They knew that Professor McGonagall and their parents had gone to the board of governors, Nott's and Goyle's parents, and the Ministry, but as of yet they had heard nothing.

Scorpius was avoiding Nott and Goyle like the plague, but they didn't seem to be acting any differently toward him. Not that they had much of a chance; this year Scorpius was, if not popular in his house, at least accepted by the majority of them.

Then, one day, Nott and Goyle just simply weren't at school anymore. Rumors flew. They had been involved in drugs. They had smuggled something illegal into the school. They had smuggled something illegal _out_ of the school. They had beat up another student. They had beat up each other. They had attacked a professor. They had flunked out of all their classes. They had cheated on their O.. Some of the Slytherins looked sideways at Scorpius when they heard the news. They knew something had been up with him and the two older boys, and they suspected that Scorpius had something to do with their disappearance. No one, however, knew the whole story except for Albus and Scorpius.

*****TTG*****

"Al?" said Rose, sliding into the seat next to him in the common room. "You know why those two Slytherins left, don't you? It had something to do with Scorpius, didn't it?"

Albus shifted uncomfortably. "It—it—yes, but it's not—it's his—"

James sat down on his other side. "What did they do to him?" he asked.

Albus looked at his brother and his closest cousin. "You can't tell anyone, okay? Dad and Teddy know, and probably Mum too, and Scorp's mum and dad, but no one else, besides McGonagall and the Ministry and stuff."

"What _is_ it, Al?" said Rose.

"They molested him," said Albus quietly.

"_What?" _James leapt to his feet, slamming his fist down on the table.

"Shhh!" said Albus desperately, as the rest of the common room looked their way.

"What do you mean?" asked Rose in a hoarse whisper. "They—"

"Just what I said," said Albus.

"Sexually?" said Rose, her voice an octave higher than normal.

Albus nodded.

"Those bastards!" hissed James, outraged.

"It's been taken care of," said Albus.

"Is Scorpius okay?" asked Rose in concern.

"He is, now," said Albus.

James sat back down at the table. "That poor kid..."

A voice called from the other side of the portrait hole. "Al? Weren't we gonna study together?"

"Yeah, just a minute, Scorp," said Albus. "Don't say anything to him, okay?" he said to Rose and James.

They nodded.

Albus went to the portrait hole and walked through, James and Rose behind him.

"Hey, Al," said Scorpius. "Hi James, hi Rose."

James stepped forward and wrapped Scorpius in a brief, tight hug. "Hey mate," he said, patting the younger boy on the back.

"How are you, Scorpius?" said Rose, looking at him with a concerned smile.

"Er—hi," said Scorpius again, slightly confused.

Albus and Scorpius set off down the corridor.

"You told them, didn't you?" said Scorpius quietly.

"Scorp, I'm sorry—they asked, and—"

"It's okay," said Scorpius, remembering James's strong, brotherly arms around him. He gave Albus a soft kiss. "It's fine."

*****TTG*****

The rest of the year was the happiest time that Scorpius could remember. Free from the presence of Nott and Goyle, and with the acceptance of the rest of the school, he began to really come out of his shell. His and Albus's relationship overcame the tension of the first half of the term and blossomed even more than before. They were blissfully happy, and even more so when Draco formally invited Albus to spend two weeks of his summer at at the Malfoy home

*****TTG*****

"I'm kind of nervous," admitted Albus, as he and Scorpius disembarked from the train and started toward Scorpius's waiting parents.

"It'll be fine," Scorpius reassured him, sliding an arm wound his waist and slipping a finger just under the waistband of his jeans.

Albus smiled and surreptitiously brushed his hand over Scorpius's ass.

"Father likes you," said Scorpius, gently removing his Albus's hand before they reached his parents. "And so does Mother."

"I like you," whispered Albus teasingly. Then, "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy."

"Hello, Albus," said Draco.

"Hello, dear," said Astoria, watching the boys with their arms around each others' waists. This was the first time she had actually seen her son with his boyfriend. The radiant looks on their faces banished her last traces of doubt about the matter.

"Bye Al!" called a voice. "Bye Scorp!"

They looked up. Their friends and Albus's family were waving to them.

"Bye!" called the two boys.

"Have fun!" yelled James, winking at them.

*****TTG*****

Albus had unpacked his things and settled down in Scorpius's room after getting a tour of the manor. It was an impressive place, but to Scorpius it was simply home.

After dinner and a leisurely desert in the lounge, the boys went back up to Scorpius's room to get ready for bed.

As Albus was about to pull on his pajama shirt, he felt a pair of cold hands on his naked back.

"Hey, love" said Albus, twisting around so that his chest was pressed up against Scorpius's (also bare) chest.

"Mmmm," said Scorpius, snaking his arms around his boyfriend's waist.

Albus walked his fingers up Scorpius's chest, placing teasing kisses on the corners of his mouth.

Scorpius shuddered pleasurably. "Al..." he murmured.

Albus guided Scorpius to his bed and pressed him down onto the comforter. Albus kissed him, and Scorpius laced his fingers behind Albus's head, pulling him down on top of him.

Albus's hands found Scorpius's waistband and slid underneath it to rest on his hipbones, but then he hesitated.

Scorpius's gray eyes met Albus's green ones.

"Are you okay?" Albus asked.

Scorpius nodded.

"I don't want to hurt you," Albus whispered.

"You're not," said Scorpius softly.

He slid his hands under Albus's trousers and squeezed his boyfriend's ass. Albus moaned and moved his own hands down to Scorpius's round cheeks.

Scorpius shivered and tightened his grip. Albus lifted himself just enough to move his hands around to Scorpius's front. The other boy stiffened.

"Scorp? Maybe we shouldn't..."

"No," breath Scorpius. "Please...don't stop..."

Albus lowered his mouth to Scorpius's, taking the other boy's tongue into his mouth and rubbing his hands down over the front of Scorpius's hips and crotch, feeling the blond's arousal grow against his fingers.

Albus disengaged his mouth from Scorpius's so that he could trail kisses down the other boy's chest and stomach, stopping to breathe in when he reached the top of Scorpius's pubic hair.

"Oh my god, Scorp," he muttered, as Scorpius's fingers clutched at the muscles of his back. "Merlin..."

Albus peeled Scorpius's pajama trousers all the way down and the blond shimmied out of them, before removing Albus's as well. The two boys sat up, breathing heavily, taking in each others' nakedness.

Scorpius ran his hands down Albus's abs, over his hips, and onto his groin. "You're gorgeous," he said smiling and he leaned in to kiss Albus's neck.

Albus reached behind Scorpius's, cupping his ass and pulling him onto his lap. "So're you," he murmured. "You're beautiful."

Scorpius lifted Albus's chin so that he could kiss his lips again, at the same time pressing him up against the headboard of the bed.

They separated slightly, hard bodies still pressed close, and met each others' eyes.

"I—Scorpius—" said Albus. "Are you sure we're—ready...for this?"

Scorpius laced his fingers through Albus's black locks. "I don't know," he breathed.

"Are you scared?" said Albus.

"Yes," said Scorpius. "But I want you..."

"I want you too," said Albus. And then he was on top of Scorpius again, hands tugging at Scorpius's hair as he devoured the blond's mouth hungrily.

Scorpius arched under him and Albus responded instinctively, sliding himself into the tightness of the boy underneath him.

Scorpius cried out and gripped Albus's shoulders tightly. Albus pressed himself harder into Scorpius, eager but gentle as he let out a low moan.

Knowing that his parents' bedroom was too far away for them to hear him, Scorpius cried out louder, wondering how something so painful could feel so good.

They climaxed together, crying out each others' names as the surrendered to each other, and then relaxed, Albus still laying on top of Scorpius's chest, breathing in the other boy's scent.

Scorpius's arms wrapped lazily around him and, exhausted, they fell into a dreamy doze.

*****TTG*****

When Albus opened his eyes the early morning sun was streaming in through the window, lighting up the emerald and silver walls with an ethereal yet somehow earthy glow.

Albus propped himself up on his elbows and gazed down at Scorpius. Sensing that he was being watched, Scorpius opened his own eyes.

Albus trailed his fingers over Scorpius's face and chest, drinking in the intoxicating feeling of his boyfriend's skin on his. He bent down to whisper in Scorpius's ear.

"I love you."

Scorpius's smile was dazzling. The dawn rays cascading down over him made his pale hair and skin shine like spun gold.

"I love you too, Al," he breathed. "Merlin, but I love you too."

**AN: And that is the end! Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it! I tired really hard to get this chapter right, since it is the last one and I wanted it to end with a really good chapter. Yes, they are 15. I'm not necessarily endorsing sex at 15, but it certainly happens, and, really, how else can I end my romance fic? **

**There is now a sequel. I originally intended this to be the end of the story, and this one can definitely stand on its own, but an idea presented itself to me without me searching for it and continued to develop, so I went with it.**

**Also, I posted the song lyrics all together as the next chapter.**

**You should really check out the Senate (the band who wrote the song) they're a great band.**

**-SQ**


	22. Song Lyrics

**Turn to Gold**

**The Senate**

Believe me when I tell you that there was no accidental kiss.

Don't go blaming fate or chance, it's we who got us into this.

You took me by surprise and that is all.

So in the end perhaps you're here to have but not to hold.

And everything is turning to gold, oh darlin', everything is turning to gold.

Let it pass, I'm tired of talking, tired of staying in control;

Tired of all the looks you give me, tired of feeling less than whole

I only want to touch your face again.

Or maybe I'll just steal your heart, before it just grows cold.

And everything is turning to gold, oh darlin', everything is turning to gold.

To come so close and fall so far, will this be how it always ends?

We've done the same thing all before, and now it's happened all again.

Must it always end this way?

Or maybe I'll just steal your heart, before it just grows cold.

And everything is turning to gold, oh darlin', everything is turning to gold.

Everything is turning to gold, oh darlin', yeah my darlin'...

Everything is turning to gold.


	23. Sequel Notice!

As the title of the "chapter" indicates, this is not really another chapter, but a notice telling you that there is now a sequel to this story! Many of you have expressed a keen interest in reading one, and so, since the idea has presented itself to me and has stuck, I am writing one. It is called _Look Around_ and the first chapter has been posted. I hope you will all check it out. :)

Happy reading!

-SQ


End file.
